Washington Post

The Fact Checker is the fact-checking column of The Washington Post in the United States. It rates claims with Pinocchios.

Checked by Washington Post10 Sep 2022United States Elections

Lincoln Project, Voiceover

“Trump told you the election was stolen, ripped you off, to sucker you, to take your hard-earned money and shovel it into his pockets. ... Every dollar you sent him paid to keep his shady business empire and lavish lifestyle going.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: There is no evidence to support the claim

Checked by Washington Post8 Sep 2022United States

Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State

“The fact is that I had zero emails that were classified.”

Washington Post rated this: Technically correct

Washington Post says: None of the emails were marked classified but some were deemed to have contained classified information

Checked by Washington Post2 Sep 2022United States

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“Do you realize the bullet out of an AR-15 travels five times as rapidly as a bullet shot out of any other gun, five times — is lighter — and can pierce Kevlar?”

Washington Post rated this: Wrong

Washington Post says: Biden bungled his talking point -- he should have said two times faster.

Checked by Washington Post31 Aug 2022United States Health

Tucker Carlson, Fox news host

“At the same moment that Biden is accusing Republicans of fascism, his DHS has published a cartoon on Facebook urging children to report their parents to federal authorities if their parents post something called covid disinformation.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: This is completely untrue

Checked by Washington Post30 Aug 2022United States Economy and jobs

The White House, Twitter account

“The numbers speak for themselves: Nearly 90% of student loan debt relief will go to borrowers earning less than $75,000; 85% of the congressional Republicans’ tax cut went to taxpayers earning more than $75,000.”

Washington Post rated this: Two Pinocchios

Washington Post says: This is an apples and oranges comparison between individual and household income

Checked by Washington Post25 Aug 2022United States Economy and jobs

Kevin Brady, Member of the House (R-Texas)

“This is a new claim: 'There’s no new IRS agents, we’re just replacing the ones that leave.” But the existing budget can replace them. These are all new.”

Washington Post rated this: Lacks context

Washington Post says: Years of budget cuts suggest Congress cannot be counted to provide the necessary funding

Checked by Washington Post23 Aug 2022United States Politics and government

Ron Klain, White House chief of staff

“The president has delivered the largest economic recovery plan since Roosevelt, the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower, the most judges confirmed since Kennedy, the second largest health care bill since Johnson, and the largest climate change bill in history.”

Washington Post rated this: Needs Context

Washington Post says: One claim in particular, about FDR, requires some fancy math

Checked by Washington Post18 Aug 2022United States Politics and government

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“Investments in the CHIPS and Science Law will create more than 1 million construction jobs alone over the next 6 years building semiconductor factories in America.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The number of construction jobs in the report he cites is 6,200, not 1 million

Checked by Washington Post18 Aug 2022United States Elections

Catherine Cortez-Masto ad voiceover, Senator (D-Nevada)

“When the city of Reno wanted to go after the opioid manufacturers for the damage they’ve caused, Nevada’s attorney general, Adam Laxalt, tried to block Reno from holding them accountable. Maybe that’s because Laxalt took over $20,000 from opioid companies for his campaign.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Laxalt did urge Reno not to file a lawsuit, but his letter — written with the state’s consumer advocate — made clear that all sides had the same goal of holding the manufacturers accountable.

Checked by Washington Post11 Aug 2022United States War and conflict

Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader (R-Calif.)

“Do you make $75,000 or less? Democrats’ new army of 87,000 IRS agents will be coming for you — with 710,000 new audits for Americans who earn less than $75k.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The Biden administration is planning to hire 87,000 IRS employees over the next 10 years — not IRS audit agents. The audit figure lacks signficant context.

Checked by Washington Post10 Aug 2022United States

Donald Trump, former U.S. president

“We are a nation that no longer has a free and fair press. Fake news is about all you get. We are a nation where free speech is no longer allowed.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: Trump posted this video on his new platform, Truth Social — showing free speech is still alive and well.

Checked by Washington Post9 Aug 2022United States Economy and jobs

Mike Crapo, Senator (R-Idaho)

“The mislabeled ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ will do nothing to bring the economy out of stagnation and recession, but it will raise billions of dollars in taxes on Americans making less than $400,000.”

Washington Post rated this: Not the Whole Story

Washington Post says: Tax rates have not changed, but distribution tables distribute the impact of corporate tax increases.

Checked by Washington Post22 Jul 2022United States Health

Joe Biden, president

“This will not only lower the cost of prescription drugs and health care for families, it will reduce the deficit and help fight inflation.”

Washington Post rated this: Not immediate relief

Washington Post says: Inflation is a top concern of Americans these days and the Biden administration is eager to show it is addressing the problem. But any inflation impact of this bill would not be instantaneous.

Checked by Washington Post19 Jul 2022United States Politics and government

Doug Mastriano, GOP candidate for governor

“When the government ensured that the Little Sisters of the Poor wouldn’t have to violate their religious beliefs, my opponent @JoshShapiroPA sued them and forced them to go to the Supreme Court. He lost and proved that he’s too extreme for Pennsylvania.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The nuns sued to join a case that was aimed at the federal government; Shapiro did not sue the nuns. Mastriano is falsely claiming otherwise.

Checked by Washington Post12 Jul 2022United States

Charles E. Grassley, Senator (R-Iowa)

“Pres Biden reportedly sold oil fr[om] American reserves to China’s Sinopec which Hunter Biden may still b[e] tied to via his financial ventures in China. If report correct that’s OUTRAGEOUS.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The US government is required to sell to the highest bidder.

Checked by Washington Post8 Jul 2022United States Politics and government

Joe Biden, President

“And I have written, way back, a number of law review articles about the Ninth Amendment and the — and the 14th Amendment and why that privacy is considered as part of a constitutional guarantee. And the — they’ve just wiped it all out.”

Washington Post rated this: Two Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Biden wrote a newspaper op-ed, not law review articles, on these issues.

Checked by Washington Post17 Jun 2022United States Health

60 Plus Association, advocacy group

“Joe [Manchin] cracked under pressure. Now he’s supporting Biden’s devastating plan to strip $300 billion from Medicare, leaving West Virginia seniors with even fewer treatments and cures.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The ad uses misleading math and an outlier study

Checked by Washington Post7 Jun 2022United States War and conflict

Joe Biden, President

“Over the last two decades, more school-aged children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active-duty military combined.”

Washington Post rated this: Depends on how you do the math

Washington Post says: Biden's numbers add up but could be apples and oranges

Checked by Washington Post2 Jun 2022United States

Joe Biden, President

“A dozen CEOs of America’s largest utility companies told me earlier this year that my plan would reduce the average family’s annual utility bills by $500 and accelerate our transition from energy produced by autocrats.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: He citing a study that is for national energy expenditures, not utility bills.

Checked by Washington Post27 May 2022United States Politics and government

Joe Biden, President

“When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled.”

Washington Post rated this: Not the whole story

Washington Post says: Biden is citing one study but others show different results