A photograph that has been circulating online appears to show former Vice President Joe Biden groping a woman at a party ( here ), ( here ) and ( bit.ly/2VG2OVK ).
The woman in the photograph with Biden is journalist Amie Parnes. Some versions of the photograph include two other people: Biden’s wife Jill Biden and Meet the Press producer Chris Donovan.
This claim is false. The photograph has been altered, moving Biden’s hands higher than they were in the original photograph. A bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey has also been added to his jacket pocket.
The original photograph shows Biden's hands on Parnes' waist. It was taken at a holiday party in 2013 and posted on Parnes' Facebook page ( here ).
The altered photograph appears to come from satire news website World News Bureau in a fake article dating back to 2013 ( here ). The photograph has continued to circulate online with many users believing that it is real.
Comments on the altered photograph include: “What is the old creep putting his hands on her anywhere. He shouldn’t have been touching her at all. Try that at work in a corporation, as Trump would say “you’re fired!’”, “ Dirty old man, nothing to laugh about!” and “Feely Joe been on the news alot... says alot bout the dems choices.”
Joe Biden has faced allegations that he has made women uncomfortable with his use of physical contact. Biden told reporters in July 2019 that he was taking the complaints about his personal conduct seriously, but stopped short of apologizing ( here ).
The Reuters Fact Check team previously debunked posts claiming Joe Biden had inappropriately touched a young boy, which actually shows him comforting his grandson at the boy’s father’s funeral ( here ), and a photograph claiming to show Biden kissing a young girl, which actually shows Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ( here ).
VERDICT
False: A photo of Joe Biden allegedly groping a reporter has been altered.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.