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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Issa Sought ‘Yes’ on Loan Request

Issa Sought ‘Yes’ on Loan Request
October 10, 2011

Rep. Darrell Issa, who has accused the administration of “political interference” to benefit a solar energy company, has falsely claimed that a letter he wrote to the Energy Department on behalf of a California car maker merely requested a decision — “yes or no” — on the company’s loan application. In fact, the California Republican wrote to “express support” for the company’s loan to develop an electric car. He wrote that approval of the loan would “greatly assist a leading developer of electric vehicles in my district”

Americans for Prosperity

October 10, 2011

A conservative group founded by billionaire businessman and political activist David Koch.

Change in Military Funeral Protocol?

October 10, 2011

Q: Did Obama order the military to drop the words “on behalf of the president of the United States” when presenting the flag to the next of kin at funerals?
A: A chain email that makes that claim is wrong. Spokespersons for the Defense Department and the armed forces say that no change was ordered.

Obama’s Solyndra Problem

Obama’s Solyndra Problem
October 7, 2011

President Obama exaggerated when defending his administration’s approval of a $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra, a now-defunct solar company.
Obama referred to Solyndra’s loan at an Oct. 6 press conference as “a loan guarantee program that predates me.” That’s not accurate. It’s true that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 created a loan guarantee program for clean-energy companies developing “innovative technologies.” But Solyndra’s loan guarantee came under another program created by the president’s 2009 stimulus for companies developing “commercially available technologies.”

Clearing the Air on Perry’s Record

Clearing the Air on Perry’s Record
October 7, 2011

Texas Gov. Rick Perry cites partly cloudy statistics to back up his boast that Texas is doing just fine cleaning its air on its own — without the EPA. Perry boasts that “we cleaned up our air in Texas more than any other state, during the decade of the 2000s.” …

Make Us Great Again

October 6, 2011

Make Us Great Again is a “super PAC” supporting Rick Perry’s presidential bid.

Obama No ‘Different’ Today on Taxes

Obama No ‘Different’ Today on Taxes
October 5, 2011

An American Crossroads TV ad claims Obama’s position on taxes is “different” than it was in 2009. It isn’t.
The conservative group began airing a new TV ad in St. Louis on Oct. 3 in advance of the president’s fundraising trip to Missouri. The ad, titled “Don’t,” urges Obama not to raise taxes. But it distorts the president’s position on taxes two years ago by taking a snippet of an Obama interview in August 2009 and using it out of context.

Haley Barbour’s ‘Amnesia’

Haley Barbour’s ‘Amnesia’
October 4, 2011

Haley Barbour accused a fellow governor of “amnesia,” claiming he was forgetting “the fact that Obama had the biggest Democratic majorities in Congress since Lyndon Johnson.” But it was actually Republican Barbour who was having a memory lapse. He forgot about the Democrats’ massive victories following Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal.
Forgetting the ‘Watergate Babies’
During an exchange on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Barbour, the Republican governor of Mississippi, responded to Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s complaint that Republicans in Congress were impeding the president’s ability to create jobs.

FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3

October 4, 2011

This week, readers sent us comments about the special election for governor in West Virginia and a suggestion for a new FactCheck.org feature.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.