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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Posts Sling Baseless Claims at Judge in Defamation Case Against Trump

Posts Sling Baseless Claims at Judge in Defamation Case Against Trump

Misinformation peddlers baselessly claim a judge who presided over the defamation case that ended with an $83 million verdict against former President Donald Trump is linked to sex trafficking, noting that the judge dismissed a case related to Jeffrey Epstein. But the Epstein-related case was settled by the parties, and the defamation verdict was rendered by a jury.

Kimmel Not Named in Unsealed Epstein Documents

Kimmel Not Named in Unsealed Epstein Documents

Court documents that include names of people associated with accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein are being unsealed, but late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has not been implicated. The suggestion that Kimmel would be among the names came from football player Aaron Rodgers, who had no evidence to support the claim.

Posts Use Transposed Mugshot of Epstein to Target Kamala Harris

Posts Use Transposed Mugshot of Epstein to Target Kamala Harris

A federal judge has ordered the release of documents that will identify scores of accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s associates. The order has led many social media users to share a digitally manipulated image that purports to show Vice President Kamala Harris posing with Epstein. The original photo showed Harris with her husband, Douglas Emhoff.

Media Allowed to Attend Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial, Contrary to Social Media Posts

Media Allowed to Attend Ghislaine Maxwell’s Trial, Contrary to Social Media Posts

The federal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is charged with assisting accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, opened on Nov. 29 with extensive media coverage. But social media posts falsely claim the judge issued a “gag order” and the media is “barred from courtroom.” The judge’s order allows “substantial public and press access at the Courthouse.”

Posts Misidentify Man Shown in Photo with Ghislaine Maxwell

Posts Misidentify Man Shown in Photo with Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell, who is charged with assisting accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, is scheduled to go on trial on Nov. 29. Social media posts are circulating a photo that falsely claims to show Chief Justice John Roberts in an affectionate pose with Maxwell. The photo actually shows Maxwell with a French modeling agent facing sexual assault charges.

Officials Didn’t Say Epstein Associate Has COVID-19

Officials Didn’t Say Epstein Associate Has COVID-19

Social media posts falsely assert that Ghislaine Maxwell — the recently arrested associate of Jeffrey Epstein — has tested positive for COVID-19 in jail. The story is the product of a website that says its work is satire.

Posts Distort Facts on Floyd Pathologist’s Role in Past Cases

Posts Distort Facts on Floyd Pathologist’s Role in Past Cases

Instagram posts erroneously claim the “SAME DOCTOR” performed the autopsies on “JFK, MLK, Epstein, AND George Floyd.” The doctor referenced, pathologist Michael Baden, has connections to those four cases — but he only performed an autopsy on Floyd, as a secondary examination for Floyd’s family.

False Claim Targets Gates Using Epstein Connection

False Claim Targets Gates Using Epstein Connection

There’s no evidence that Bill Gates ever visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, contrary to a viral Facebook post claiming he went there numerous times. The “flight records” cited do not show that.