Epstein Island

Did the U.S. Justice Department just release the 1998-2004 flight logs for Jeffrey Epstein's Boeing 727? No, that's not true: We've had then since early 2015 and have embedded copies of the flight logs in several Lead Stories fact checks. This reporter investigated allegations of Epstein's abuse of young females as a national correspondent for American Media Inc. in January…

Did former President Bill Clinton put out a video in anticipation of the release of the "Epstein Client List" in which he said "I did not have sexual relations with those children on that island"? No, that's not true: The video bore a watermark that said "meme/satire" which was visible the entire length of the footage. It was orignally published…

Was Donald Trump caught on tape during a Fox News commercial break, saying that someone who is called into war is a "dumbfuck redneck" and that volunteering for military service is "stupid"? No, that's not true: This recording is fake -- it originated from a parody account. It appears that a human voice actor impersonated Donald Trump in this recording,…

Did the Walt Disney Company buy Jeffrey Epstein's island? No, that's not true: The social media post showed the website that made the claim, which is a site that clearly states they are "the world's best satire and parody site." They explain that their stories are made up, stating, "We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff." The claim appeared…

Did Mel Gibson release a video of satanic rituals taking place on "Jeffrey Epstein's island"? No, that's not true: "He has nothing to do with this and has no knowledge of it," Gibson's publicist told Lead Stories about a social media post making this claim. There is no evidence given in the post that such a video even exists. The…

Is a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump sitting next to each other on a private jet an authentic picture? No, that's not true: The image of the financier convicted of prostitution crimes and the former president of the United States is not authentic. It is an AI-generated image, as an online detection tool showed. Epstein and Trump were…

Do court documents unsealed in early January 2024 show that California Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff visited the island of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than 70 times? No, that's not true: There is no credible information or evidence to support the claim. A search of the court records revealed no mention of Schiff. The claim appeared in a post…

Did recently published court documents reveal that celebrity TV host Oprah Winfrey was "a client" of registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found a single mention of Winfrey in these documents, but that was an email discussing people who might be interested in the story of Virginia Giuffre, a former Epstein employee whose 2015 lawsuit…

Did Barack and Michelle Obama visit "Epstein Island" and pose for a photo with their daughters with the iconic and blue and white striped building of Epstein Island in the background? No, that's not true: This photo has been altered to add the blue and white striped building. This old family photo, with a birthday greeting for Barack Obama, was…

Did the Rothschild family buy or do they own Rothschild Island in Antarctica? No, that's not true: The island, which is part of Antarctica and not owned by anyone, was sighted from a distance by the French Antarctic Expedition between 1908 and 1910. The expedition leader, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, named it after Baron Edouard de Rothschild, the then-head of the French…