Monica Lewinksy Found Dead, Murdered in Attempted Burglary-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Monica Lewinsky has been found dead in what appears to be an attempted burglary, which suspiciously happened after she ended an affair with President Bill Clinton.
The Truth:
False claims that Monica Lewinksy has been found dead bounced around a network of fake news websites in early June 2017,
It’s not clear exactly where the story first appeared, but Lewinsky’s social media channels remained active and updated in the days following them. There was no indication that Lewinsky had been found dead aside from website known to pedal fake news and conspiracies theories about the Clintons, including the infamous “Clinton Body Count” theory.
The report appeared at Last Line of Defense, a self-described fake news website, on June 3, 2017, under the headline, “BREAKING: Monica Lewinsky Found Dead.” The report begins:
Monica Lewinsky was having a visit with a friend from high school this week that ended in tragedy. Just moments ago, Freedom Crossroads Correspondent Louis Leweigh confirmed that The coroner just left the scene where Monica Lewinsky, who we now know never ended her affair with Clinton, was found murdered in a burglary.
Police Chief Randall Getty told Leweigh:
“Pretty cut and dry. We have a suspect we think we have on several area cameras who is a known pot addict. He’s been in and out of jail more than a dozen times for possession. We’re looking at him and we’re also considering because of the high-profile nature of the case other suspects like the Clintons.”
That report cited an earlier report by Freedom Crossroads as the original source, but there was no trace of the story at Freedom Crossroads by June 5, 2017. The story also appeared on various fringe websites that are known to repost and republish Last Line of Defense reports verbatim, often making it appear that a story is being more widely reported than it is, and making it difficult to track down its original source.
It should be noted that Last Line of Defense was also behind reports that Monica Lewinsky’s son was missing, and that Lewinsky’s son was later found dead in New York, that circulated in May 2017. Again, by the site’s own admission, stories that appear there are based on “facts that don’t necessarily exist” and should be considered fake news.