Quick Take
An image of a bogus tweet supposedly from the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg about Hillary Clinton began circulating after Ginsburg’s death. Ginsburg did not have a personal Twitter account, and did not author the tweet claiming knowledge of “information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.”
Full Story
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Her death spawned widespread discussion over her prolific career, as well as how and when the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled.
With the nation’s attention focused on Ginsburg, a bogus tweet made to look as if it had been posted by Ginsburg began circulating on social media.
“I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton,” one of the tweets reads. However, Ginsburg doesn’t have a personal Twitter account, as a search on Twitter shows, so the tweet could not have been from her.
Screenshots of the bogus tweet display different Twitter accounts (@rdawg, @RBG and @RBGofficial), and different times and/or different dates, providing more evidence that the tweet was falsified.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
Sources
Totenberg, Nina. “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion of Gender Equality, Dies at 87.” NPR. 18 Sep 2020.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” Oyez. Accessed 21 Sep 2020.
Zurcher, Anthony. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death sparks political firestorm.” BBC. 19 Sep 2020.