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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke May 18, 2021

No, this isn’t a real photo of Joe Biden and Jen Psaki

If Your Time is short

  • This photo is doctored.
 

An old, doctored photo that appears to show President Joe Biden inappropriately touching a woman is back with a new twist. Now the image features White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who wasn’t in the original photo. 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The original photo was taken at a 2013 holiday party when Biden was vice president. It shows him with his hands on the waist of The Hill reporter Amie Parnes. The picture drew attention back then because Biden was criticized for how high his hands were. 

"Photo of famously friendly Biden goes viral," read a Today headline.

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"Vice President Joe Biden gropes White House reporter," the Daily Caller said.  

Parnes had published the photo on her Facebook page, according to Today. She and Biden were joined by an NBC producer and then-second lady Jill Biden. 

But later that month, a blog posted a fake news story with a doctored photo that showed Biden’s hands much higher, on her chest. A bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon also appears to be sticking out of his pocket.

We rated claims that the photo was authentic False. Now that Psaki’s been edited into the image, we’re upping the ante. Pants on Fire!

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No, this isn’t a real photo of Joe Biden and Jen Psaki

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