Fact check: Image of Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff altered to show Jeffrey Epstein
The claim: An image shows Kamala Harris and Jeffrey Epstein standing together
Several misleading social media posts have been circulating witha picture that appears to show Vice President Kamala Harris and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
An Instagram user shared an image of Harris and Epstein on Aug. 29 with the words "Make this photo famous" at the top. The picture received more than 1,700 likes in less than two weeks.
"I believe it is fake," the Instagram user told USA TODAY.
Several other Instagram and Facebook users have shared the same photo.
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But the image was manipulated. Harris was not standing next to Epstein in the original picture.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the post for comment.
No evidence the image is authentic
In the original image, Harris is standing next to her husband, Doug Emhoff, when they attended the Broad Museum Black Tie Inaugural Dinner on Sept. 17, 2015, in Los Angeles.
The original picture, captured by photographer Jerod Harris, can be found on Getty Images.
The image being shared by social media users was digitally altered so that Epstein's head was positioned on Emhoff's body.
The photo of his face in the picture with Harris is a mugshot taken by Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department, according to AFP Fact Check.
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Epstein was arrested in 2006 in Florida on charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, according to the Associated Press. He pleaded guilty under a non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to complete a work-release program and avoid more serious federal charges.
In 2019, Epstein was accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, according to the AP. He died in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in 2019 while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges.
Our rating: Altered
A viral image that shows Harris and Epstein standing next to each other is ALTERED, based on our research. The original image is of Harris standing next to Emhoff at a 2015 black tie event in Los Angeles.
Our fact-check sources:
Reuters, Aug. 30, Fact Check-Photo of Kamala Harris with Jeffrey Epstein is digitally altered
The Associated Press, Aug. 30, Photo edited to show Kamala Harris with Jeffrey Epstein
AFP Fact Check, Sept. 1, Manipulated photo falsely links Kamala Harris to Jeffrey Epstein
Getty Images, Sept. 17, 2015, The Broad Museum Black Tie Inaugural Dinner
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact Check: Altered image shows Jeffrey Epstein next to Kamala Harris