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
Q&A on Border Detention of Children
The controversy surrounding family separations at the U.S. Southern border has prompted outrage, opinions and finger-pointing. It has also raised a number of questions, including from our readers. We answer those questions here.
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.
Partisan Website Recycles Old Charges
Q: Has the “head” of the Democratic Party been “hauled out in handcuffs”?
A: No. A partisan website has used decade-old charges against an Alabama Democrat as clickbait.
Emily’s List/Women Vote!
Political committees devoted to electing Democratic women candidates who support a legal right to abortion.
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.
Bogus Claim About Made-up Muslim Waitress
Q: Did a Muslim waitress refuse to seat 27 Christians?
A: No. That claim is completely made up. The restaurant where it supposedly happened doesn’t even exist.
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.”