President-elect Donald Trump, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
They all took a recent ride on the AJC Truth-O-Meter, courtesy of PolitiFact and PolitiFact Georgia.
Want to see how they fared?
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below. Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/.
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Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 11th, 2017 in a press conference at Trump Tower:
The Russians “tried to hack the Republican National Committee, and they were unable to break through.”
While Russians were able to get into the email accounts of some Republican individuals and state-level Republican organizations, they did not break into the Republican National Committee’s current system, according to the director of the FBI.
Russians did access email domains associated with the RNC that were no longer in use, but the information was outdated and wasn’t released. Additionally, it’s not completely clear why hackers were unable to get into the current RNC.
The gist of Trump’s claim is correct, but it’s important to keep in mind that Russian hackers did access some Republican data, including the outdated RNC account.
We rated his claim Mostly True.
Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 11th, 2017 in a press conference:
Americans don’t “care at all” about Donald Trump’s tax returns.
Several polls, including one released the day before his latest press conference, show that a sizable portion of the public does think Trump’s tax returns are an important issue.
These polls word their questions differently. But most results showed a majority of Americans believed the issue was relevant, undermining Trump’s assertion that only the media wants to explore the issue.
We rated Trump’s statement False.
Mitch McConnell on Monday, January 9th, 2017 in an op-ed on FoxNews.com:
“About 8 out of 10 favor changing Obamacare significantly or replacing it altogether.”
McConnell’s office pointed to a Nov. 28, 2016, news release by Gallup that summarized one of its periodic polls on health care. The headline was, “Most Americans Want Changes to Affordable Care Act.”
Gallup’s release goes on to say, “Whatever the exact course of action that ensues once Trump and the new Congress take office, it is clear that about eight in 10 Americans favor changing the ACA significantly (43 percent) or replacing it altogether (37 percent).” This data is based on a survey conducted on Nov. 9 to Nov. 13, 2016.
McConnell has carefully worded a statistic from a credible source, the Gallup news release.
However, it’s worth remembering that a notable share of people whose favored “significant” changes to the law either want a single-payer plan or an even stronger Obamacare law — two options that are off the table for McConnell.
We rated his statement Mostly True.
Charles Schumer on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017 in an interview on MSNBC:
Says Donald Trump campaigned on not cutting Medicare and Social Security, but his nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, “made his career on cutting Medicare and Medicaid.”
Congressman Price, Trump’s HHS pick and a Roswell resident, has supported reducing the government’s role in Medicare and block granting Medicaid, which would amount to spending reductions to both programs.
While it’s clear these proposals would reduce federal spending on the health safety nets, experts say it’s not the same thing as gutting the programs entirely.
Trump did pledge to leave Medicare and Social Security alone, and Price’s positions seem at odds with that. (It’s worth noting that Social Security isn’t administered by HHS).
We rated Schumer’s claim Mostly True.
How does PolitiFact Georgia’s Truth-O-Meter work?
Our goal is to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution fact-check statements by local, state and national political leaders, including lobbyists and interest groups. We then rate them on the AJC Truth-O-Meter.
To fact-check a claim, reporters first contact the speaker to verify the statement. Next, the research begins. Reporters consult a variety of sources, including industry and academic experts. This research can take hours or a few days or even longer, depending on the claim. Reporters then compile the research into story form and include a recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling.
The fact check then moves on to a panel of veteran editors who debate the statement and the reporter’s recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling.
The panel votes on a final ruling; majority prevails.
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