FACT CHECK: Image Claims The FBI Uncovered Over 250 Emails Between Adam Schiff And Jeffrey Epstein
An image shared on Facebook claims the FBI uncovered over 250 emails Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exchanged.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence to corroborate the claim. It originated in an article published on a satire website.
Fact Check:
Social media platforms are replete with dubious claims about prominent politicians. In this particular case, a screen grab of an article alleges that the FBI uncovered 256 emails exchanged between the House Intelligence Committee chairman and Epstein, who died in jail of an apparent suicide last year while awaiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges.
“FBI Investigation Uncovers 256 Emails Between Schiff and Epstein,” reads the headline of the screen grabbed article. (RELATED: Did Nancy Pelosi’s Church Ask Her Not To Come Until She ‘Finds God And Gets Help’?)
There is, however, no evidence to corroborate the post’s claim. Had the FBI uncovered such emails between Schiff and Epstein, it would have been picked up by major news outlets, yet none have reported on it.
An internet search of the headline reveals the image – and its claim – appear to have originated on America’s Last Line of Defense, a parody news website that describes itself as part of a network that publishes “parody, satire, and tomfoolery.” The satire article, which puts up the same headline and features the same image of Schiff, appears under the “Satire for Stupid People” category.
Yet, while America’s Last Line of Defense clearly disclaims the satirical nature of the article, the screen grab being shared on Facebook fails to do so, portraying it as real.
This isn’t the first time the Daily Caller has debunked a claim that originated on a satirical news website. In January, a viral image falsely claimed Schiff would be charged with “presidential harassment.”