Chelsea Clinton denies affiliation with Church of Satan

Hillary Clinton shares a hug with her daughter Chelsea Clinton at a campaign rally in Raleigh, N.C., Nov. 8, 2016. (Chris Keane/Reuters)

First her family was accused of being linked to a (nonexistent) child pedophilia group. Now Chelsea Clinton has taken to Twitter to debunk a claim that she and her husband practice satanism.

To quote Clinton herself: “Goodness gracious.”

The former first daughter defended a Twitter exchange with the Church of Satan in which both parties wished one another a happy new year. A Twitter user named Rhonda Kazmierski interpreted the interaction to mean that Clinton was aligned with the church’s views, writing in a since-deleted tweet, “If only @HillaryClinton could be as honest.”

Chelsea Clinton was quick to dismiss any speculation. “We can be civil, cheerful, respectful to & friends with people who don’t share our religious beliefs,” she responded in a tweet Wednesday. “Sometimes, we even marry them. I’m a Methodist & my husband is Jewish, thank you for asking. A very happy New Year to you Rhonda!”

Oh goodness gracious. We can be civil, cheerful, respectful to & friends with people who don’t share our religious beliefs. Sometimes, we even marry them. I’m a Methodist & my husband is Jewish, thank you for asking. A very happy New Year to you Rhonda! https://t.co/8UH9SP8EWO

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) January 3, 2018

The exchange between Clinton and the church was prompted by a Twitter thread in which Clinton was mentioned alongside model Chrissy Teigen and — somehow — the Hooters restaurant account. The series of tweets kicked off with Clinton’s empathetic response to claims that Teigen was involved in the false “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory.

“In 2017, @ChurchofSatan & I were put on a few threads together,” Clinton wrote. “In 2018, it’s … @Hooters. What a time to be alive Chrissy!” The church evidently saw Clinton’s tweet and decided it was a good time to share some holiday joy.