Photo does not show Judge Aileen Cannon at Trump rally

"This is interesting. Aileen Canon on the left," says one June 9, 2023 tweet sharing the image, which shows two women decked out in face paint, "Team Trump" hats and other merchandise. "This pic gives a good reason why she should recuse or be removed as the Judge."

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Screenshot from Twitter taken June 12, 2023

Similar posts spread the photo widely across Twitter and other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram after Cannon was assigned to the case against Trump, who faces dozens of felony charges of mishandling US government secrets. Several videos sharing the image on TikTok and Instagram raked in tens of thousands of views.

Cannon, a Trump appointee in 2020, will have enormous sway over how fast the proceedings move. The Florida judge issued a series of rulings favorable to Trump earlier in the investigation, slowing the probe into the classified documents stashed at his Mar-a-Lago resort before a conservative appeals court ultimately ruled that she had overstepped her authority.

But there is no evidence she is the person depicted wearing Trump gear in the photo circulating online.

The original photo

Getty Images photographer Spencer Platt took the original picture (archived here) in the US state of Pennsylvania more than nine months ago. The caption does not identify the duo, but the woman confused for Cannon online has different facial features and hair color than the judge, whose image has been widely published by US media.

"People gather to hear former president Donald Trump speak as he endorses local candidates at the Mohegan Sun Arena on September 03, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania," the caption says.

Platt told Newsweek he did not recall taking the photo, but he said he highly doubted it showed Cannon because he did not think a judge would have agreed to be photographed.

AFP contacted Platt for additional comment, but no response was forthcoming.

Cannon, who serves the federal district court for the Southern District of Florida, granted Trump's request for an appointment of a "special master" to independently review materials the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago on September 5, 2022 -- two days after Platt snapped his photo in Pennsylvania. She held hearings in court the previous week.

Asked during her nomination process in 2020 whether she had spoken with anyone -- including White House or Justice Department officials, about staying loyal to Trump, Cannon said she had not.

Origin of the rumor

The rumor gained traction after science journalist Laurie Garrett claimed the photo showed Cannon in a now-deleted June 9, 2023 tweet.

In a follow-up post, Garrett said she had seen the image atop a Slate article when she searched Google images for Cannon.

The Slate article (archived here), dated September 6, 2022, criticized Cannon's authorization of a special master and included the photo alongside the caption, "Trump rallygoers, or members of the judiciary? It's hard to say."

The article did not claim the photo showed Cannon, however. On June 12, 2023, Slate changed the caption (archived here) to read "Trump rallygoers." The outlet added a note that said it was "updated to reflect the fact that these are not members of the judiciary."

AFP reached out to the Southern District of Florida, but no response was forthcoming.

Trump, who is eyeing a return to the White House in 2024 despite being wrapped up in several investigations, pled not guilty to mishandling government secrets on June 13.

AFP previously debunked an altered image purporting to show the judge who approved the FBI's warrant to search Mar-a-Lago.

AFP has also debunked other misinformation surrounding Trump's handling of classified documents, including here.