Fact check: Fake tweet claims Hillary Clinton posted about vaccines and Jeffrey Epstein
The claim: Hillary Clinton posted a tweet about vaccination that referenced Jeffrey Epstein
A recent Facebook post claims Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, tweeted, "It’s pretty simple: Get vaccinated or get Epsteined." The May 21 post features an image that presents the tweet as coming from Clinton’s verified Twitter account.
Similar posts on Facebook have accumulated more than 200 interactions. USA TODAY reached out to the user for comment.
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Bill and Hillary Clinton recently joined other former presidents and first ladies in two public service announcements that promote the coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reported.
No record of tweet
USA TODAY searched PolitiTweet's archive of deleted and archived Hillary Clinton tweets but found none that match the purported one posted on Facebook.
A tweet from May 17, however, resembles the claimed tweet.
It's pretty simple:
Get vaccinated. Get your life back.https://t.co/rAGfELbV9Q
1-800-232-0233— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 17, 2021
Some users, however, misunderstood that post.
"So what you're saying is, the government stole our lives and is holding us hostage until we do what you tell us," replied one Twitter user.
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USA TODAY also searched for any coverage on the topic but no news outlets reported on the purported tweet.
Our rating: False
The claim that Hillary Clinton tweeted "It’s pretty simple: Get vaccinated or get Epsteined" is FALSE, based on our research. There is no record that it was posted by Clinton's verified account.
Our fact-checking sources:
Hillary Clinton, May 17, tweet
Reuters, March 11, Former U.S. presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton, Carter and First Ladies promote vaccine in new advertisements
PolitiTweet, accessed May 30, Hillary Clinton
Check Your Fact, May 24, FACT CHECK: DID HILLARY CLINTON TWEET, ‘GET VACCINATED OR GET EPSTEINED’?
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Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Fake Hillary Clinton tweet about vaccines, Jeffrey Epstein