By JONATHAN ALLEN & JAKE SHERMAN

At least three Democratic senators have been subjects of false reports of their deaths in the past two days, prompting the U.S. Capitol Police to open an investigation into the matter.

Several news outlets received a hoax e-mail news release, announcing the death of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Tuesday. Leahy, 70, who participated in July 4 events, is alive and well, according to spokesman David Carle.


Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have both been
victims of fake news releases announcing
their deaths.
AP photo composite by POLITICO
 

“It was spoofed to look as if it had come from the office,” Carle said.

A copy of the e-mail, posted on the Web site of Washington’s WTOP radio, said Leahy had died of liver cancer.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), an 86-year-old appropriator who recently announced he is free from a form of stomach cancer, was also spoofed, his office confirmed.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who serves on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees with Leahy, was subjected to a hoax of the same kind on Monday, her office confirmed. Similarly, she was said to have died of cancer at her home.

The nearly identical hoax news releases have “also been used against others,” Carle said in a brief phone call. He did not offer specifics about other such incidents.

U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider told POLITICO that the police are looking into the hoaxes but declined to say how many there were or to provide any other details

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Well, they don't look very good to me, but if they say they're alive, I'll take their word for it. No U.S. Senator would ever lie about something important like that. I didn't happen to see any of the death announcements, are we sure that they weren't referring to political death? Were they dated 03 November 2010 and accidentally released early?