A fabricated screenshot purports to show a tweet published by Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert about the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The screenshot shows a tweet purportedly sent via Boebert’s official Twitter account (@laurenboebert) on Jan. 30 that reads: “Simply because you took part in a well-intentioned coup *one time* doesn’t mean you should be called a traitor years after. What has happened to this country?”
Although some considered the screenshot to be satirical, others were duped into thinking the image showed an authentic tweet. One user who shared the screenshot on Facebook said: “Seriously?! Is this how our federal elected legislators think? How can our democracy survive under the “leadership” of such ignorance?” (here).
Other examples can be seen (here), (here).
A spokesperson for Boebert confirmed to Reuters that she published no such tweet.
Instead, the screenshot was created by a Twitter profile that routinely shares fabricated posts (@FaithRubPol).
A label can be seen at the bottom right corner of the screenshot indicating that it was created by that account and is satirical in nature (“Parody by Back Rub”). An identical label can be seen on other fabricated tweets created by the same account.
The account posted the image on Jan. 30 (here), archived (archive.is/wip/AhAPM).
A Twitter advanced search via Boebert’s official Twitter account did not reveal the post (archive.is/wip/htVac), while a Google advanced search did not reveal any media outlets reporting on the tweet (archive.is/wip/Ayyq2).
VERDICT
Satire. The screenshot was created by a parody account that routinely creates fabricated screenshots.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.