There were multiple official and unofficial Republican responses to President Obama’s State of the Union address, but only a few instances of the president’s critics stretching the facts.
FactChecking the GOP Responses
A Tale of Two Jobs Numbers
Rick Perry, in his last official speech as Texas governor, mixed and matched jobs data to embellish the state’s job gains.
Scott Walker’s Education Boast
Gov. Scott Walker says his state’s “ACT scores are up and Wisconsin now ranks second in the country.” But scores are not up, and the state’s national ranking is misleading.
Unspinning Christie’s State of the State
In his State of the State address, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie exaggerated some figures and boasted about progress that doesn’t look so impressive when compared with national trends.
Competing Keystone Claims
Two senators on opposite sides of the Keystone XL pipeline debate are selectively spinning the facts to make their case.
Detaining and Interrogating Terror Suspects
Sen. Lindsey Graham went too far with his claim that the Obama administration has a policy of “not interrogating or detaining terrorist suspects anymore.”
Return of the False Tax Claims
Every once in a while bogus emails get revised, recycled – and widely recirculated. That is happening now with a viral email that purports to list income tax increases that take effect this year.
Cummings Misuses Police Shooting Stat
Rep. Elijah Cummings got his facts wrong when he said “96 percent” of fatal police shootings were “white officers killing African Americans.” His office told us he misspoke.
What Was Alan Gross Doing in Cuba?
In accounts from both sides of the aisle, recently-freed Alan Gross has been portrayed as a humanitarian simply trying to bring Internet access to Cuba’s small Jewish community. But there’s more to the story than that shorthand suggests.
Is Cuba a ‘Leading’ Sponsor of Terrorism?
Sen. Ted Cruz condemned President Obama’s announcement that he would normalize relations with Cuba, calling the communist country “a leading state sponsor of terrorism.” That’s a stretch, to say the least.