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| - FACT CHECK: Post Falsely Claims Bloomberg Report Named Barack Obama As Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Middleman’
A post shared on Facebook claims a recent Bloomberg report names former President Barack Obama as late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s “middleman” to bank JPMorgan Chase.
Verdict: False
The report only mentions Obama in relation to his former White House lawyer, Kathy Ruemmler. The report does not name Obama as Epstein’s “middleman.”
Fact Check:
Sarah Ransome, one of Epstein’s victims, was reportedly in a relationship with a senior JPMorgan Chase official who encouraged her not to go to the police, according to the Daily Beast. Ransome described Epstein’s abuse via a victim impact statement at his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing back in June 2022, the New York Post reported.
“BREAKING: President Obama has been named as Jeffrey Epstein’s middle man to JP Morgan according to Bloomberg,” the Facebook post purports. The post includes a link to an Aug. 16 Bloomberg report as well as an unrelated video of the former President and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, walking on a beach.
The claim is false, however. The report only mentions Obama in relation to his former White House lawyer, Ruemmler, not himself directly. According to the same report, Epstein’s assistant allegedly reached out to JPMorgan Chase over four years ago to help Ruemmler open an account. An email thread naming Ruemmler as a “very good friend” of Epstein’s was revealed in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands, accusing JPMorgan Chase of “knowingly benefiting from [the late financier’s] sex crimes.”
Likewise, the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands indicates Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff offered to introduce Ruemmler and Mary Erdoes so Ruemmler could set up a JPMorgan Chase account. The filing also notes Ruemmler was Obama’s White House lawyer but does not name the former President as Epstein’s “middleman.”
In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports linking Obama to Epstein’s dealings with JPMorgan Chase or his sex crimes. The former Democratic President also has not publicly commented on the claim.
The claim that Obama served as Epstein’s “middleman” to JPMorgan Chase first originated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, where it amassed over four million views. (RELATED: Did The Obamas’ Private Chef Die On The Anniversary Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death?)
Check Your Fact has contacted Obama, JPMorgan Chase, and Bloomberg for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
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