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The week in fact-checks Aug. 27 (video)

National
By Jim Tharpe
August 26, 2015

PolitiFact Georgia editor Jim Tharpe breaks down the week in fact-checks.

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More by Jim Tharpe
Bloggers
Bloggers
stated on November 29, 2016 Townhall.com
Hillary Clinton in 2005 co-sponsored legislation that would jail flag burners.
True
By Jim Tharpe • December 2, 2016
Various media reports 2
Various media reports 2
stated on November 10, 2016 news media reports
Newt Gingrich has been a proponent of selecting a president by popular vote instead of the Electoral College.
True
By Ariella Phillips, Jim Tharpe • November 16, 2016
Social Media
Social Media
stated on October 17, 2016 social media sites
Creflo Dollar has endorsed Republican Donald Trump for president.
Pants on Fire!
By Jim Tharpe • October 19, 2016
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
stated on September 19, 2016 in a Facebook post and video
Hillary Clinton said, "with a straight face, that the terrorist attacks this weekend were caused by Donald J. Trump"
Half-True
By Jim Tharpe • September 23, 2016
Jim Barksdale
Jim Barksdale
stated on September 15, 2016 On his campaign website
In Georgia, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.  
Half-True
By Jim Tharpe • September 16, 2016
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
stated on August 22, 2016 interview with an AP reporter in Memphis
Both the Democratic and Republican candidates for president in 2016 are "quite unpopular."
True
By Jim Tharpe • August 31, 2016
Allen Buckley
Allen Buckley
stated on July 13, 2016 a campaign statement
"U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has voted for $7 trillion of our national debt!"
Mostly True
By Jim Tharpe • August 10, 2016
Georgians for Bernie Sanders for President
Georgians for Bernie Sanders for President
stated on May 23, 2016 Facebook post.
Polls show Bernie Sanders would do better than Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head battle against Donald Trump.
Mostly True
By Jim Tharpe • June 8, 2016
Video for Atlanta Super Bowl bid presentation
Video for Atlanta Super Bowl bid presentation
stated on May 24, 2016 Super Bowl bid
"Our population has grown from about 1 million in the 1970s to almost 7 million today."
Half-True
By Jim Tharpe • June 8, 2016
Vernon Keenan
Vernon Keenan
stated on April 26, 2016 Newspaper interview
The city of Clarkston "can’t decriminalize marijuana. Only state legislators and Congress can do that."
True
By Jim Tharpe • May 11, 2016
Viral media reports
Viral media reports
stated on March 22, 2016 Newspaper, television and social media
Emory University students were provided counseling after someone wrote "Trump 2016" in chalk on campus.
Mostly False
By Jim Tharpe • March 31, 2016
Romney allies
Romney allies
stated on March 18, 2016 The New York Times
Mitt Romney did not "endorse" Ted Cruz, even though he said he is voting for Cruz and urged others to do likewise.  
Half-True
By Jim Tharpe • March 24, 2016
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on March 13, 2016 Donald Trump on Sunday, March 13th, 2016, in an interview on "Meet the Press"
Says a YouTube video shows Thomas DiMassimo, the man who rushed Trump at an Ohio rally, "dragging the American flag on the ground like it was a piece of garbage."    
True
By Jim Tharpe • March 17, 2016
Viral BuzzFeed
Viral BuzzFeed
stated on April 20, 2015 video
Women make only 78 percent of what men make for the same job.  
Mostly False
By Jim Tharpe, Nancy Badertscher • April 22, 2015
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
stated on March 24, 2014 Television interview
Women in the U.S. get 23 percent less pay than men for the same exact work.
Mostly False
By Jim Tharpe • April 4, 2014

Carter exaggerates gender pay gap

Clear
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing
Says “90% of health care spending treats chronic disease.”
False
By Grace Abels • February 19, 2026
stated on January 14, 2026 a statement
New York ranks No. 1 in the nation for individual tax burden.
Mostly True
By Jill Terreri Ramos • February 17, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts
The Epstein files “expose Ellen DeGeneres” as a cannibal.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • February 16, 2026
X posts
X posts
stated on February 12, 2026 an X post
Savannah Guthrie's husband’s company is listed as a "co conspirator" in the Epstein files, “in case you're wondering why now of all times for (her) mother to be 'kidnapped.'"
False
By Maria Briceño • February 16, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on February 8, 2026 an interview on NBC
Crime in Minneapolis “is down 25, 30% because we’ve removed thousands of criminals from the area.”
Mostly False
By Amy Sherman • February 13, 2026
stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed
“New Yorkers pay 49% more than the national average for electricity.”
Mostly True
By Brooke Johnpier • February 13, 2026
Claudia Tenney
Claudia Tenney
stated on January 16, 2026 a post on X
Said she has led the House effort to build a large Micron semiconductor facility near Syracuse.
Half-True
By Andrew McGurl • February 13, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office
"The crime rate now is the lowest it's been since 1900. That's 125 years."
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • February 12, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 publicaciones en redes sociales
“Durante su presentación en el Super Bowl, Bad Bunny le regaló su premio Grammy a Liam Conejo Ramos”, el niño de 5 años que fue detenido por ICE.
False
By Samantha Putterman • February 9, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts
An image shows Bad Bunny wearing a dress and burning the U.S. flag.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • February 9, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on January 27, 2026 remarks at a restaurant in Iowa
“We right now have more factories and plants being built in our country than we've ever had before.”
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • February 9, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 posts
During the Super Bowl halftime show, “Bad Bunny brought Liam Conejo Ramos onto the stage,” the 5-year-old detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis.
False
By Samantha Putterman • February 9, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on February 5, 2026 social media posts
An image shows Jeffrey Epstein “still alive and walking the streets of Tel Aviv,” Israel.
Pants on Fire!
By Loreben Tuquero • February 6, 2026
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Whitmer
stated on February 2, 2026 a Substack
Under Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, there are “fewer families living in poverty” than under her predecessor.
Half-True
By Amy Sherman • February 6, 2026
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. said ‘we’re not cutting science’ or research. NIH grant cuts show that’s wrong
Pants on Fire!
February 5, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino
Among Somalis in Minnesota, “92% of them don’t work.”
Pants on Fire!
By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • February 2, 2026
X posts
X posts
stated on January 31, 2026 an X post
Images show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child with his mother, Mira Nair, and Jeffrey Epstein.
Pants on Fire!
By Maria Briceño • February 2, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on January 21, 2026 remarks
In artificial intelligence, “We're leading China by a lot.”
Half-True
By Loreben Tuquero • January 29, 2026
Jared Moskowitz
Jared Moskowitz
stated on January 22, 2026 an X post
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “backlog of unanswered disaster assistance applications has exploded to the largest in its history.”
Mostly True
By Samantha Putterman • January 28, 2026
JD Vance
JD Vance
stated on January 22, 2026 a press conference
"Right now we're focused on Minneapolis because that's where we have the highest concentration of people who have violated our immigration laws."
False
By Amy Sherman • January 28, 2026
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