Clinton Foundation Cargo Ship Raided, Contraband Found-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
A Clinton Foundation cargo ship named “The Chelsea” was raided and contraband was found, including refugees, illegal produce, weapons and drugs.
The Truth:
Rumors that a Clinton Foundation cargo ship was raided stem from a false report published by a self-described fake news website in May 2017.
The story appeared at Last Line of Defense under the headline, “BREAKING: Clinton Foundation Cargo Ship Raided At Port Of Baltimore Reveals Sick Secret.” The report claims that “The Chelsea” was returning from Africa and was supposed to be carrying “emergency supplies” at the time of the raid:
A ship owned and operated by the Clinton Foundation was raided as it arrived from Africa this morning at the Port of Baltimore. The ship, which was supposed to be carrying “emergency supplies,” was actually carrying a cargo that had authorities stunned. BPA Harbormaster Jake Cummings explained to CNN:
“We received a tip that the Clinton Foundation flagship, The Chelsea, was carrying illegal contraband into the United States. We honestly didn’t know what to expect, but what we found was simply…surreal. In the middle of the ship’s large manifest of containers, most of which were empty, we found 14 containing…people. Yes, people.
They were all Refugees from places like Yemen and Syria and not a single one had any kind of documentation. We interviewed those who spoke English and were told that for $40K, anyone can catch a ride to the United States on a ship nobody would ever suspect.”
We couldn’t find a BPA harbormaster named Jake Cummings, and that interview doesn’t appear on CNN”s website. A photo accompanying the story allegedly shows a container ship named “The Chelsea” being unloaded — but it’s actually a digitally-manipulated photo that was taken from the Maryland Port Administration website:
Last Line of Defense is known for publishing false reports, and it’s disclaimer states as much. The site explains in its disclaimer that it’s stories should be “considered satirical” by readers:
DISCLAIMER: The Resistance may include information from sources that may or may not be reliable and facts that don’t necessarily exist. All articles should be considered satirical and any and all quotes attributed to actual people complete and total baloney. Pictures that represent actual people should be considered altered and not in any way real.
Given all that, we’re calling reports about contraband found on a Clinton Foundation cargo ship “fiction.”