Fact Check

Did Hillary Clinton Post Condolences for Tulsi Gabbard's Suicide One Day Early?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published Jan. 24, 2020

COLUMBIA, SC - JANUARY 20: Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is introduced during the King Day at the Dome rally on January 20, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. The event, first held in 2000 in opposition to the display of the Confederate battle flag at the statehouse, attracted more than a handful Democratic presidential candidates looking for votes in the early primary state. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
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Claim:
Hillary Clinton posted condolences for Tulsi Gabbard's suicide one day early.

If you need help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Or contact Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

On Oct. 23, 2019, the Babylon Bee website published an article positing that former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had posted to Twitter her condolences for the suicide of U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, one day early.

Hillary Clinton Accidentally Posts Condolences For Tulsi Gabbard's Suicide One Day Early
October 23rd, 2019

U.S.—Oops! A social media scheduling error apparently caused Hillary Clinton to post her condolences for Tulsi Gabbard's suicide one day early.

This morning, Clinton posted that she felt "great sadness" at hearing that Gabbard had killed herself. In subsequent tweets, she detailed how "tragic" it was that Gabbard had broken her own kneecaps, stuck her feet in concrete, then tossed herself off the docks near a seedy warehouse.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events — Gabbard did not commit suicide. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

"The Babylon Bee is the world’s best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims. We write satire about Christian stuff, political stuff, and everyday life."

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

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