Social media posts with thousands of interactions include a photo tying US Vice President Kamala Harris to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But a reverse image search found that the photograph has been digitally manipulated to include Epstein instead of Harris' husband Douglas Emhoff.
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"Make this photo famous," says an August 29, 2021 Instagram post that includes a photo of Harris posing with Epstein.
Screenshot of an Instagram post taken August 31, 2021 Identical posts can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Epstein died by apparent suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he trafficked and sexually abused dozens of girls as young as 14 between 2002 and 2005. Although he had close ties with politicians including former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, both of whom he has been pictured with, this image of him with Harris has been digitally manipulated.
A reverse image search found the original portrait of Harris and her husband was used by the UK fashion magazine Grazia Daily in an online article. It credited the photo to Getty Images.
AFP found the original photo on the Getty Images website. The picture -- taken by Jerod Harris -- features then-California Attorney General Harris and Emhoff as they attended The Broad Museum Black Tie Inaugural Dinner on September 17, 2015 in Los Angeles.
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Screenshot of the Getty Images website taken September 1, 2021 The version shared on social media has Epstein's head superimposed over Emhoff.
The photo of Epstein used to manipulate the image comes from a mug shot of him that was shared by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department.
This undated photo obtained July 8, 2019, courtesy of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Departmant, shows Jeffrey Epstein ( Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department / ) Also Read: No, The US Military Has Not Arrested Former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo
Epstein's death has led to several conspiracy theories, including claims amplified by former president Trump, that he was assassinated on the orders of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
AFP Fact Check has debunked other posts attempting to link Epstein to high profile figures such as President Joe Biden and Fox News host Chris Wallace.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)