PolitiFact fact-checkers look at Clinton, Sanders and Cruz

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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.

Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

They all want to be president. And they all took a recent ride on the AJC Truth-O-Meter, courtesy of those fact-checking scribes at PolitiFact and PolitiFact Georgia.

Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.

Want to comment on our rulings or suggest one of your own? Just go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia). You can also follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga).

Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/.

Ted Cruz on Sunday, February 14th, 2016 in comments on “Meet the Press”:

“It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year.”

A Supreme Court justice hasn’t been both nominated and confirmed in a presidential election year since 1940, 76 years ago.

But the notion that this is a “long tradition,” is misguided. The fact is, vacancies in an election year are rare, especially in Cruz’s time frame. As such, it’s hard to argue that there is any tradition in filling seats.

Cruz’s statement is partially accurate but takes things out of context.

We rated Cruz’s statement Half True.

Bernie Sanders on Sunday, February 7th, 2016 in a video:

“The richest 80 people in the world own more wealth than the bottom half of the global population.”

The statement was in line with the latest Oxfam report available at the time Sanders spoke. The Oxfam analysis was based on a report from Credit Suisse and the Forbes list of billionaires.

The exact number of billionaires might well be different from the 80 that Sanders said, or the 62 that Oxfam said more recently. But out of world population of 7 billion, it makes little difference if the tally were 160. It still represents a tiny sliver of a percentage of the people in the world.

The statement is accurate but needs additional information.

We rated it Mostly True.

Hillary Clinton on Friday, February 12th, 2016 in a column posted on Medium.com:

Says she will “work to raise the federal minimum wage back to the highest level it’s ever been — $12 an hour in today’s dollars.”

The minimum wage has never previously been “$12 an hour in today’s dollars” — it’s gone as high as $10.69 an hour. However, Clinton has a point using other economic data. The data suggests that a $12 minimum wage would be similar to the 1968 wage when compared to median wages at the time.

Clinton’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details.

We rated it Half True.

Ted Cruz on Monday, February 15th, 2016 in an interview on Fox News:

Says Marco Rubio “went on Univision, and in Spanish he promised that he would not on the first day in office rescind President Obama’s illegal executive action.”

That’s a reference to Rubio’s statement in an April 2015 interview about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Cruz is cherry-picking a portion of Rubio’s interview. Rubio said that he wouldn’t undo the program immediately because it would be disruptive, but he said that it would have to end eventually and could not be permanent policy. Initially, Rubio said that he hoped it would end after an immigration bill passed but then in November said it would end even if Congress fails to act.

Cruz has created a misleading impression about Rubio’s statement by omitting his full comments.

We rated Cruz’s claim Half True.