Fact check: Chelsea Clinton did not tweet about Jesus and Planned Parenthood
The claim: Chelsea Clinton tweeted about Jesus and Planned Parenthood
An image of an alleged tweet from Chelsea Clinton about Jesus and Planned Parenthood is circulating widely on social media.
Clinton’s parents, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are frequently targeted by QAnon followers who spread baseless conspiracy theories on message boards and social media.
The purported tweet, shared as a screen grab to Instagram on May 7, claims Clinton wrote this:
“It’s so wrong of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to deny President (Joe) Biden and (U.S. House) Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi Holy Communion because they support a woman’s God given right to choose. If Jesus were alive today he’d be working at Planned Parenthood. Read your Bible Father.”
The post has over 16,000 likes and was shared by Christian worship leader Sean Feucht who wrote: “It’s shocking how many people (and especially believers) actually think this way.” He also shared the post on Facebook on May 7.
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USA TODAY reached out to Feucht and other social media users who shared the post for comment.
Tweet is fabricated
While the screenshot includes Clinton’s current Twitter profile picture and a blue checkmark, it is not an authentic tweet.
Sara Horowitz, a spokeswoman for Clinton’s office, told USA TODAY via email that Clinton never tweeted the message circulating on social media.
Additionally, there are no news reports about the tweet, and a review of Clinton’s Twitter page shows no such message. On May 3, Clinton posted seventweets, none of which mention Planned Parenthood or Jesus.
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The fabricated tweet references a May 1 letter from San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, which says, “If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion.”
Cordileone’s 17-page letter does not mention Pelosi, D-Calif., by name, however, he argues pro-choice Catholics who are public figures should be denied Communion.
In an emailed statement to the Washington Post, Cordileone said, “I did not direct the letter at any one person because sadly this principle applies to many Catholics in public life.”
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Clinton has not released a statement or made any comments on social media about the letter.
Our rating: False
The claim that Chelsea Clinton tweeted, “If Jesus were alive today he’d be working at Planned Parenthood,” is FALSE, based on our research. Clinton’s office confirmed the tweet is fake, and there is no record of the statement on her official Twitter page.
Our fact-check sources:
- Sara Horowitz, May 8, email correspondence
- Chelsea Clinton, accessed May 8, Twitter page
- Chelsea Clinton, May 3, tweet
- Chelsea Clinton, May 3, tweet
- Chelsea Clinton, May 3, Twitter thread
- Archdiocese of San Francisco, May 1, A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life
- The Washington Post, May 3, Pelosi’s archbishop says prominent Catholics who support abortion rights should be denied Communion
- Clinton Foundation, accessed May 8, Press Releases & Statements
- Chelsea Clinton, accessed May 8, Facebook
- PolitiFact, May 7, No, Chelsea Clinton didn’t tweet that Jesus would be working at Planned Parenthood
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