Epstein

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 former President Donald Trump fly on one of Jeffrey Epstein's planes? Yes, but that is missing context: The private jet that Trump flew on for campaign events on August 10, 2024, was a Gulfstream that was previously owned by sex offender Epstein and is now a leased aircraft under private ownership. This is not the same aircraft that was…

Did an authentic photo show Vice President Kamala Harris with Jeffrey Epstein, embracing at the beach? No, that's not true: Lead Stories ran the image through AI detection tool True Media, which found "substantial evidence" the image was generated using AI, with 100 percent confidence. A reverse image search does not offer results older than mid-July 2024, almost five years…

Is a bio page mentioning "Epstein" from the real Instagram account of Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks? No, that's not true: A Meta spokesperson told Lead Stories the account was a copycat/fake account. The company told another fact-checking organization that it had removed the account. Lead Stories previously debunked the profile picture in the Instagram post as not being Crooks.…

Does an image authentically show President Joe Biden and the late sex-crimes offender Jeffrey Epstein posing together? No, that's not true: Digital editing was used to fake the shot, putting the two men together in a photograph that was never taken. The doctored picture first began appearing online in 2020. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…

Did Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico "formally and publicly" reject the World Health Organization Global Pandemic Accord "only days" before an assassination attempt on May 15, 2024, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: The pandemic accord has not been finalized, a World Health Organization spokesperson told Lead Stories on May 15, 2024. Although Fico had voiced…

Does a photo on Facebook actually show rapper Sean "P. Diddy" Combs seated next to former President Donald Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the two men snuggle with young women? No, that's not true: A previous fact check by Lead Stories determined that another version of the photo that did not include Combs was likely AI-generated.…

Does a viral image on social media genuinely show U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and the late sex-crimes offender Jeffrey Epstein sitting snuggled up with an underage girl in a bikini top and shorts? No, that's not true: An AI-detection tool confirmed that the picture is AI-generated. This fake photo has been online since January 2024. The claim reappeared in…

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 celebrity TV chef Guy Fieri publicly ban "The View" host Whoopi Goldberg in January 2024 from visiting any of his restaurants? No, that's not true: A self-described satirical website, which specializes in what it calls "the freshest fake news," first published this claim. Goldberg has denied on air that she ever was kicked out of Fieri's restaurants. The claim…