Fact Check: Fabricated Facebook Post Attributes False Claims to Ashley St. Clair
Claim: A Facebook post shared on February 16th claims to be a screenshot of an X post by conservative author Ashley St. Clair, in which she announces the birth of a child conceived through IVF with Elon Musk and enhanced using CRISPR technology.
Rating: False
Analysis:
The image circulating on social media purporting to show a post by Ashley St. Clair about a child she conceived with Elon Musk is a fabrication.
Evidence:
- Spokesperson Confirmation: A spokesperson for Ashley St. Clair has confirmed that the post attributed to her is "counterfeit" and does not exist on her X profile.
- Missing Post Record: The X profile of Ashley St. Clair shows no record of the post in question.
- Timestamp Anomalies: The image includes a timestamp indicating it was shared on February 16th at "7:21" without specifying AM or PM. However, regardless of the time, there is no evidence that she shared a post at that time.
- Uniform View Count: All versions of the image circulating on social media indicate that it had been viewed 173 times when captured. This suggests that the image was not shared organically by multiple users, but rather originated from a single fabricated source.
- No Response from St. Clair: St. Clair has not publicly addressed the fabricated post, which she likely would have done if it were genuine.
Additional Context:
- CRISPR Controversy: CRISPR is a controversial gene-editing technology that can selectively modify the DNA of living organisms. While it has potential benefits for medical research, its use in human reproduction raises ethical concerns.
- St. Clair’s Elon Musk Claim: St. Clair previously made claims on X that Elon Musk is the father of her child, born in 2024. These claims have not been verified or acknowledged by Musk.
- Previous Fact-Checks: USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous false claims related to Elon Musk, including claims about donations to defendants in the January 6th Capitol riot, threats to X users, and bans on LGBTQ Pride references.
Conclusion:
The Facebook post claiming to show Ashley St. Clair’s announcement about a child conceived with Elon Musk and enhanced with CRISPR is fabricated. The post does not exist on her X profile, and a spokesperson has confirmed that it is counterfeit. This is part of a pattern of false claims spread about Elon Musk and sensitive topics like gene-editing technology.
