ChatGPT makes false statements about Vince Foster's death

By Allan J. Favish

An artificial intelligence service called ChatGPT, developed by a company called OpenAI, will give you false information about the 1993 death of former President Bill Clinton's deputy White House counsel, Vincent Foster.

OpenAI describes itself as "an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."

As reported in my American Thinker article in May of 2016, and subsequent AT articles here and here, and in a WND article here, in 1997 I requested under the federal Freedom of Information Act that the government publicly release photographs of Foster's deceased body as it lay in the park where the government says it was first found. The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held in a 2-1 decision that "Favish, in fact, tenders evidence and argument which, if believed, would justify his doubts" about the government's conclusion of suicide in the park. Although the 9th Circuit stated "if believed," the vast bulk of the evidence did not depend on my credibility because the evidence consists almost entirely of the government's own documents from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Park Police and other government agencies. In 2004 the United States Supreme Court rejected my request. In doing so, the Supreme Court failed to specifically rebut the facts about the death and the investigations as detailed here.

After the Supreme Court decision, it became known that Assistant United States Attorney Miguel Rodriguez, who was the attorney at Kenneth Starr's Office of Independent Counsel in charge of the day-to-day investigation of Foster's death, wrote a 30-page memorandum dated December 1994, stating that there was an active cover-up going on in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the OIC. Two copies of Rodriguez's memorandum, each with different redactions, are here and here. His resignation letter is here.

On Jan. 29, 2023, I asked ChatGPT the following question: "What is the evidence that the government's conclusion that Vincent Foster committed suicide may be incorrect?" I received the following answer:

"There is no credible evidence to support the claim that the death of Vincent Foster was anything other than a suicide. Numerous investigations, including by independent counsels, the U.S. Park Police, and the Office of the Independent Counsel, concluded that Foster died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Fort Marcy Park in Virginia in 1993. These findings have been supported by numerous forensic examinations and eyewitness accounts. Conspiracy theories suggesting otherwise are not based on credible evidence and have been thoroughly discredited."

I then asked: "Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a case involving the death of Vincent Foster?" ChatGPT answered: "No, the U.S. Supreme Court did not decide a case involving the death of Vincent Foster."

In case my previous question was not specific enough to get a truthful answer, I then asked two more questions: "Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a Freedom of Information Act case involving the death of Vincent Foster?" ChatGPT answered: "No, the Supreme Court of the United States has not decided a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case specifically involving the death of Vincent Foster."

I asked: "Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a case involving photographs of the deceased body of Vincent Foster?" ChatGPT answered: "No, the United States Supreme Court has not decided a case involving photographs of the deceased body of Vincent Foster."

On Feb. 18, 2023, I repeated the same questions and received different inaccurate responses. In response to the first question ("What is the evidence that the government's conclusion that Vincent Foster committed suicide may be incorrect?"), ChatGPT stated:

"Vincent Foster was a deputy White House counsel who died in 1993. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but there have been persistent conspiracy theories that his death was not self-inflicted. However, it is important to note that numerous investigations, including those conducted by independent counsel and the U.S. Congress, have found no evidence of foul play and support the official conclusion of suicide.

"That being said, some individuals and conspiracy theorists have pointed to certain pieces of evidence to suggest that the official conclusion of suicide may be incorrect. Here are a few examples:

"Gunshot wound: Some have questioned the location and nature of the gunshot wound that caused Foster's death. They argue that the wound was inconsistent with a suicide and could have been inflicted by someone else. However, the medical examiner and other forensic experts have stated that the wound was consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot.

"Missing evidence: Some have pointed to missing evidence from the investigation, including missing photographs of the crime scene and incomplete witness statements. However, it is important to note that the investigations into Foster's death were exhaustive, and the missing evidence was likely due to administrative errors or lost records rather than a deliberate attempt to cover up evidence.

"Conspiracy theories: Some conspiracy theorists have suggested that Foster's death was part of a larger conspiracy involving high-level government officials. However, there is no evidence to support such theories, and multiple investigations have found no credible evidence of foul play.

"It is important to note that while some may question the official conclusion of suicide, the vast majority of evidence supports this conclusion, and multiple investigations have found no evidence of foul play. It is always important to approach conspiracy theories with a critical eye and rely on credible sources of information."

In response to my second question ("Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a case involving the death of Vincent Foster?"), ChatGPT stated:

"No, the United States Supreme Court has not decided a case involving the death of Vincent Foster. Foster's death was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Park Police. In addition, several independent counsel investigations were conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.

"However, none of these investigations resulted in a case being brought before the Supreme Court. The official conclusion of the investigations was that Foster died by suicide, and there was no evidence of foul play.

"It is worth noting that some individuals have pursued civil lawsuits related to Foster's death, but these cases were brought in lower courts and did not reach the Supreme Court. Additionally, none of these civil cases were successful in challenging the official conclusion that Foster died by suicide."

In response to my third question ("Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a Freedom of Information Act case involving the death of Vincent Foster?"), ChatGBT stated:

"To my knowledge, the United States Supreme Court has not decided a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case specifically involving the death of Vincent Foster.

"However, the Foster investigation was subject to a number of FOIA requests seeking access to documents and other information related to the investigation. In fact, the release of information related to Foster's death under FOIA has been the subject of controversy, with some alleging that the government has withheld important information.

"Several FOIA cases have been brought related to the Foster investigation in lower courts. For example, in 1995, a conservative legal group, Judicial Watch, filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking access to photographs of Foster's body. The case, Judicial Watch v. United States Department of Justice, ultimately made its way to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but it was not decided by the Supreme Court.

"It is worth noting that the Supreme Court has issued several significant rulings on FOIA over the years, which have helped to shape the law and ensure transparency in government. However, to my knowledge, the Supreme Court has not issued a ruling in a FOIA case specifically related to the death of Vincent Foster."

In response to my fourth question ("Did the United States Supreme Court ever decide a case involving photographs of the deceased body of Vincent Foster?"), ChatGBT stated:

"To my knowledge, the United States Supreme Court has not decided a case specifically related to photographs of the deceased body of Vincent Foster. However, there have been legal disputes and court cases related to the release of such photographs under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

"In 1995, the conservative legal group Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking access to photographs of Foster's body, which had been taken as part of the investigation into his death. The case, Judicial Watch v. United States Department of Justice, made its way to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which ruled that the photographs were not exempt from disclosure under FOIA.

"The Department of Justice then appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, but the Court declined to hear the case, which meant that the lower court ruling stood. As a result, the photographs were ultimately released to the public.

"It's worth noting that the release of these photographs was controversial and sparked a great deal of public debate. Some argued that the photographs should be kept private out of respect for Foster and his family, while others believed that the public had a right to see the evidence related to his death."

This last response is particularly inaccurate because there was no such decision by the United States Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit, and no public release of Foster body photographs ordered by any court in any Judicial Watch case.

ChatGPT has proven that AI can be just as inaccurate as the establishment media.

Allan J. Favish is an attorney in Los Angeles. His website is allanfavish.com.

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