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John McCain

John McCain

John McCain was a U.S. senator from Arizona, a post he held from 1987 to his death in 2018. He previously served two terms in the U.S. House. He was the Republican nominee for president in 2008. McCain was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and spent his career in the military, as his father did. He was a combat pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. He was born in 1936 in Panama.

John McCain Website

Scorecard

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Pants on Fire

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Latest Fact-Checks By John McCain

Clear

John McCain
stated on January 18, 2017 an interview on Fox News:

"The Taliban went after and murdered" people identified in the Chelsea Manning leaks.

Mostly False

By Lauren Carroll • February 1, 2017

John McCain
stated on September 6, 2016 a political advertisement:

Says Ann Kirkpatrick walked out "on constituents when questioned" on the Affordable Care Act.

Half-True

By Anthony Cave • September 21, 2016

John McCain
stated on May 17, 2016 a campaign advertisement:

"30,000 Arizonans may have no choice" on Affordable Care Act coverage.

Mostly True

By Anthony Cave • June 11, 2016

John McCain
stated on January 4, 2016 a newspaper interview:

The Every Student Succeeds Act "did away basically with Common Core."

Mostly False

By Anthony Cave • February 29, 2016

John McCain
stated on February 8, 2016 remarks made on the Fox News segment, Outnumbered:

North Korea’s missiles are "not going to have a capability to reach the United States anytime real soon."

True

By Anthony Cave • February 16, 2016

John McCain
stated on January 27, 2016 a committee hearing:

"Today Russia holds many of our most precious national security satellites at risk before they ever get off the ground."

Mostly True

By Anthony Cave • January 30, 2016

John McCain
stated on May 24, 2015 an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation":

If you count United States airstrikes against ISIS, "75 percent of those combat missions return to base without having fired a weapon."

True

By Louis Jacobson • May 28, 2015

John McCain
stated on January 13, 2015 a press conference:

"About 30 percent" of those released from Guantanamo "have re-entered the fight."

Mostly False

By Lauren Carroll • January 15, 2015

John McCain
stated on October 12, 2014 comments on CNN's "State of the Union":

"We were told there would never be a case of Ebola in the United States."

False

By Lauren Carroll • October 12, 2014

John McCain
stated on September 10, 2014 an interview on CNN:

Says President Obama "has never made a statement ... that he wanted a residual force left (in Iraq)."

Mostly True

By Lauren Carroll • September 12, 2014

John McCain
stated on September 10, 2014 an interview on CNN:

"(Obama's) entire national security team, including his secretary of state, said we want to arm and train and equip (Syrian rebel forces), and he made the unilateral decision to turn them down."

Mostly True

By Steve Contorno • September 11, 2014

John McCain
stated on August 27, 2014 comments on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown":

Says he holds the record for "most appearances on 'Meet the Press'."

Mostly True

By Linda Qiu • August 27, 2014

John McCain
stated on June 1, 2014 an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation":

The five Taliban detainees being released from Guantanamo in exchange for captured Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl "are the hardest of the hard-core. These are the highest high-risk people."

Mostly True

By Louis Jacobson • June 2, 2014

John McCain
stated on September 1, 2013 an interview on "Face the Nation":

Fleeing Syria, "a million children are now refugees."

True

By Jon Greenberg • September 3, 2013

John McCain
stated on April 26, 2013 a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

"Over half" of science, technology, engineering and mathematics students "receiving advanced degrees are not citizens of the United States of America."

Half-True

By Louis Jacobson • April 30, 2013

John McCain
stated on March 6, 2011 an interview on ABC's "This Week with Christiane Amanpour":

Says iPads and iPhones "are built in the United States of America."

False

By Louis Jacobson • March 9, 2011

John McCain
stated on December 14, 2010 a statement on the U.S. Senate floor:

Earmarks requested in a federal spending bill included "$277,000 for potato pest management in Wisconsin."

True

By Tom Kertscher • December 19, 2010

John McCain
stated on August 3, 2010 a report:

Federal stimulus money went to a Georgia Tech project that will "apparently involve the professor jamming with 'world-renowned musicians' to 'hopefully also create satisfying works of art.'"

Mostly False

By Willoughby Mariano • September 13, 2010

John McCain
stated on July 29, 2010 a campaign commercial:

"The border security plan of Sens. McCain and Kyl called for 3,000 additional troops to keep us safe. President Obama says he'll send 524."

Half-True

By Angie Drobnic Holan • August 11, 2010

John McCain
stated on May 7, 2010 a campaign ad:

"Of all the illegals in America, more than half come through Arizona."

Mostly False

By Alex Holt • July 23, 2010

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Latest Fact-Checks About John McCain

Kelli Ward
stated on July 3, 2016 a campaign advertisement:

Says Sen. John McCain spent the July 4 weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan, selling "F-16s and advanced weapons to the folks who harbored Osama bin Laden."

False

By Anthony Cave • July 14, 2016

Ann Kirkpatrick
stated on May 8, 2016 an interview with MSNBC's Al Sharpton:

Says Sen. John McCain "told dreamers that he’ll support the Dream Act, then he voted against it."

Half-True

By Anthony Cave • May 24, 2016

Donald Trump
stated on July 19, 2015 comments on ABC's This Week.:

Says John McCain "has done nothing to help the vets."

False

By Linda Qiu • July 21, 2015

Harry Reid
stated on December 4, 2010 the Senate floor:

"The senior senator from Arizona (John McCain) said he couldn't support repealing 'don't ask, don't tell' because of the economy."

Half-True

By Robert Farley • December 6, 2010

J.D. Hayworth
stated on August 5, 2010 a TV ad against John McCain:

McCain opposed the border fence.

False

By Lukas Pleva • August 11, 2010

J.D. Hayworth
stated on June 14, 2010 a campaign commerical:

John McCain "began his career in Washington as a lobbyist when he was appointed in 1976 as the Navy's liaison to the United States Senate."

Half-True

By Louis Jacobson • July 5, 2010

J.D. Hayworth
stated on June 4, 2010 a campaign commercial:

John McCain "voted against the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, wrongly claiming they helped only the rich."

Mostly True

By Louis Jacobson • June 15, 2010

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