John Oliver cites PolitiFact on Nevada convention on ‘Last Week Tonight’

On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver highlighted the convoluted way the Republican and Democratic parties choose their nominees for president. Taking a deep dive into each side’s process, Oliver dissected delegate selection and convention rules, deriding party leaders for defending systems that seem ripe for cheating.  

“You’re basically keeping rat poison in a jar next to the sugar saying, ‘Hey, it hasn’t been a problem yet.’ That might technically be true, but is this really the best system you can think of?” Oliver said.

In another riff, Oliver cited PolitiFact Nevada when describing the complicated (to say the least) process in Nevada, where Bernie Sanders fans are arguing that the procedures were rigged to promote the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

“Now, for the record, PolitiFact looked into the charges of rigging in Nevada and found ‘no clear evidence the state party hijacked the process.’ And you can disagree with that, as I’m sure Bernie supporters will in the comments’ section below this video — alongside hurtful remarks about my personal appearance like, ‘Oh look, it’s British Millhouse.’ Or, ‘He looks like someone who says my parents are my best friend but who’s also an orphan.’ Or, ‘Did someone just Benjamin Button Henry Kissinger?’ All of which statements PolitiFact also rates as True.

“But the larger point PolitiFact made regarding Nevada, that I think everyone can agree with, is ‘the arcane party structures don’t reflect how most people assume presidential selection works,’ and that in itself is a huge problem. Any competition should have clear rules. You don’t get to the end of a football game and say, ‘Okay, who found the most eggs?’ “

You can read our fact-check in its entirety, and watch Oliver’s full segment below. (The PolitiFact mention is at 6:37.)

Correction: In our excitement at seeing our name on HBO, we got the name of Oliver’s show wrong. It’s Last Week Tonight, and it’s updated in this story.