evidence: CLAIM: Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, is the niece of billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros. THE FACTS: This claim is "absolutely false," according to Chelsea Lewis, deputy press secretary for Whitmer’s office. An old conspiracy theory claiming a familial connection between Soros and Whitmer circulated anew over the weekend, with one false tweet racking up more than 700 retweets. "How many of you are aware that the female governor of Michigan is the niece of George Soros?" the post read. But this claim, which has been debunked by several fact-checking websites, is not true. A look at the family lineages of each of these public figures provides further confirmation. George Soros’ only brother, Paul Soros, died in 2013. According to obituaries published at the time of his death, Paul Soros had just two surviving children, Peter and Jeffrey. His two other children, Linda and Steven, both died as young children, according to The New York Times. Wedding announcements published in The New York Times show Jeffrey Soros married Catherine Cosover in 1995 and Peter Soros married Flora Fraser in 1997. Since George Soros has only two surviving nephews, Peter and Jeffrey, and neither married Gretchen Whitmer, it’s not possible Whitmer is George Soros’ niece.