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No, former Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman is not missing
Bill and Hillary Clinton have faced a number of scandals and conspiracy theories over the years, and ones about the family’s nonprofit charity continue to proliferate on the internet.
One popular and often-resurrected rumor alleges former Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman has been missing for an extended period of time after revealing Clinton secrets.
The full claim, posted to Facebook, reads: "Why is the mainstream media silent about the fact that former CEO of the Clinton Foundation has been missing for 70+ days and is rumored to be the source who said ‘follow the money & find the real HRC scandal’? WHERE IS ERIC BRAVERMAN?!"
A photo of Braverman is placed in the center next to the word "MISSING."
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.)
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We found no evidence that Braverman is missing or hiding out from the Clintons. The rumor has been previously debunked by fact-checkers, and Braverman currently serves as the chief executive of Schmidt Futures, a California-based charity. A reverse-image search on TinEye.com indicates even the meme itself is going on two years old.
While Braverman hadn’t posted on social media for a while, he took to Twitter on Jan. 19, 2017, to announce he had accepted a position with the Schmidt Family Foundation.
He is still listed on the organization’s website as the chief executive of Schmidt Futures, the foundation’s philanthropic arm.
In one story, the only evidence offered was Braverman not responding to press inquiries and his lack of social media use. That does not indicate a person is missing. We found no police reports listing Braverman as a "missing person" and no reputable media reports detailing his disappearance.
Eric Braverman is an attorney and businessman who headed the Clinton Foundation from 2013 to 2015 when he resigned from the post.
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The rumor of his disappearance has been shared by social media users since at least October 2016.
That timing suggests it likely evolved out of the John Podesta emails that WikiLeaks dumped in October and November 2016. In one of the emails, Podesta (who served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman) suggests that Braverman could be a journalist’s unnamed source. But in the same email thread he also throws out other names.
Around the same time, in the fall of 2016, conspiracy websites started another false rumor, saying that Braverman applied for asylum in Russia after his name was revealed in the WikiLeaks dump. That claim has also been discredited.
A meme says that Braverman has been "missing for 70+ days" after being rumored to be the source of the quote "follow the money and find the real HRC scandal."
We could find no evidence that Braverman ever was or is missing, and he is currently listed as the chief executive of a California-based charity.
This claim is Pants on Fire!
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Our Sources
Facebook meme, Jan. 14, 2019
WikiLeaks, John Podesta 2015 emails, Accessed Jan. 14, 2019
The Business Journals, EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Clinton Foundation CEO to head Eric Schmidt's philanthropies, Jan. 18, 2017
Braverman tweet, Jan. 19, 2017
Schmidt Futures, Eric Braverman, Accessed Jan. 14, 2019
Snopes, Former Clinton Foundation CEO Missing?, Jan. 2, 2017
Tineye.com, Reverse Image search, Jan. 17, 2019
Politico, Eric Braverman Tried to Change the Clinton Foundation. Then He Quit, March 1, 2015
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More by Samantha Putterman
No, former Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman is not missing
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