The image of the Soviet Communist Party ID card has been altered to show Vice President Kamala Harris as a party member. The so-called ID cards can be created using templates available on a website that hosts other versions of the card with similar details but different identities and pictures.
The photo was shared on Facebook with a false caption claiming the Democratic presidential candidate received the document in 1984.
Askume found multiple instances of the same registration number (04094064) but different IDsInclude name and picture.
Much of the material was posted on the Russian-language website stalinanavas.net.In one of the sections there is a tool called “CPSU Member Card”You can create a CPSU card by filling out a template and uploading a photo.
Comparing the example posted on social media under Harris’s name with another card on a Russian-language website shows the design is identical. There are the same numbers and signature on the right side.
Web developers associated with the Russian-language site did not respond to requests for comment.
Harris photo
One online post said Harris received a certificate from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1984. However, the alleged image of the card appears to be from two years later.
Harris graduated from Howard University in 1986, according to the university’s website . Her photo appears in a College Magazine online article (page 32) titled: “Kamala Harris Senior Portrait at Harvard University.”
Howard University did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York Times did not publish any such article
Social media posts have widely mirrored New York Times reporting on the Communist Party’s credentials.
However, a New York Times spokesperson told Askume that the newspaper “did not publish any such article.”
The company spokesperson also pointed to an Aug. 30 statement that said: “Contrary to falsehoods circulating online, The New York Times has not published any articles claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris is a member of the Soviet Communist Party.”
According to one publication, the State Archives of the Russian Federation published the certificates issued by the CPSU to presidential candidates, but the Communist Party of America did not respond to a request for comment.
Harris’s campaign declined to comment.
set
False. This image shows an ID with various pictures and identities that appears online and can be created using a template on the website.
This article was written by the Askume fact-checking team.Learn more about our fact-checking of social media posts .
