Fact check: Image claiming to show Ocasio-Cortez tweet about COVID-19 is not authentic
The claim: Ocasio-Cortez tweeted she is COVID-19 positive because Republicans can't date her and because of climate change and racism
On Jan. 9, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's official Twitter account announced she had contracted COVID-19 and was recovering at home.
Shortly after, Facebook users began sharing the image of a tweet supposedly posted by the Democratic congresswoman from New York.
"I got COVID because Republicans can't date me. And Climate Change. And Racism," reads the purported tweet. The Jan. 9 post presents the tweet as coming from Ocasio-Cortez's verified Twitter account.
The Facebook post accumulated more than 1,000 interactions within two days. Similar versions were also shared.
"Seriously..she actually wrote this!!!" one commenter said.
No, she didn't. The image of the tweet is altered.
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Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the image for comment.
Ocasio-Cortez's office says the tweet is fake
Lauren Hitt, the congresswoman’s spokeswoman, told Paste BN in an email that Ocasio-Cortez didn't share this tweet.
Paste BN searched Ocasio-Cortez's archived tweets on PolitiTweet but could not find any that matched the one in the image posted on Facebook. Likewise, a search through Politwoops' archive of deleted tweets returned no results.
A Google search on the purported tweet shows no evidence that news outlets reported on the topic.
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Paste BN has previously fact-checked false tweets supposedly coming from Ocasio-Cortez's verified account.
Our rating: Altered
Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image that claims Ocasio-Cortez tweeted she is COVID-19 positive because Republicans can't date her and because of climate change and racism. The congresswoman's office confirmed the tweet isn't real. There is no evidence the tweet came from her verified account.
Our fact-check sources:
- Lauren Hitt, Jan. 11, email exchange with Paste BN
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jan. 9, Tweet
- Politwoops, accessed Jan. 11, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- PolitiTweet, accessed Jan. 11, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Paste BN, July 14, 2020, Fact check: A fake tweet claims AOC urged governors to shut down businesses to hurt Trump
- Paste BN, Jan. 15, 2021, Fact check: Ocasio-Cortez lost no shoes. A fake tweet claimed they were stolen in riot
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