Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resorted to a rhetorical sleight of hand in recent days to defend the Trump administration’s policy of separating families that illegally cross the border.
Nielsen’s Rhetoric on Family Separations
Person: Donald Trump
Trump Didn’t Fire Muslim Judge
Q: Did President Trump fire Judge Salam al Alsawatha Malallahafa?
A: No. The claim originated on a satire website.
Trump Misleads on IG Report
President Donald Trump said he thinks former FBI Director James Comey committed “very criminal acts.” But the facts don’t support the president’s opinion. Trump also claimed the inspector general’s report “totally exonerates” him, but the report didn’t evaluate the Russia investigation.
Video: U.S.-Canada Trade
In this week’s video, CNN’s Jake Tapper reviews President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. trade deficit with Canada is “close to $100 billion a year.” It’s not.
Claim That Sessions Resigned Is Baloney
Q: Has Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned?
A: No. That claim came from a made-up story originally posted on a self-described satirical site.
Trump Garbles Canadian Trade Stats
The official U.S. statistics on trade with Canada show that the United States has a trade surplus with our neighbor to the north. The U.S. surplus was $2.8 billion in 2017, according to the Census Bureau. Yet, President Donald Trump has claimed that the U.S. has “close to $100 billion a year loss with Canada” or $17 billion “minimum.”
Video: Has Trump’s Wall Construction Begun?
In this week’s fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper reviews President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that construction has begun on his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
FactChecking Trump’s Energy Boasts
At a meeting on hurricane preparedness, President Donald Trump took credit for U.S. energy production milestones that have been expected for years, and misstated the facts in the process.
Trump Misleads on Opioid Epidemic Fight
President Donald Trump implied that his administration’s funding to fight the opioid epidemic had caused the “numbers” to come “way down.” But the most recent data we have on opioid-related deaths — which are still rising — and prescriptions for opioids — which have been declining in recent years — predate the funding the president touted.
Was Mueller’s Appointment ‘Unconstitutional’?
In his latest attack on the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump tweeted, “The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL!” This amounts to Trump’s opinion, and is a matter of debate among constitutional scholars.