Fact checkers to GOP candidates: You lie!

Following Thursday's first GOP debates, fact checkers got to work finding many a whopper among the Republican candidates' claims. Jeb Bush, for instance, took credit for tax cuts that were mandated by federal law, while Donald Trump falsely claimed that there would be no immigration debate without his campaign.

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio attempted to paint Hillary Clinton as the most entrenched political insider, but the biggest tally of years of political experience actually goes to Rick Perry. Lindsey Graham misrepresented where America buys its foreign oil. And Ben Carson said the Air Force is the smallest it's been since 1940, which might be scary except that the Air Force didn't truly exist as a separate branch of the military until 1947.

Of course, as the National Journal staff comment in their fact check, "If your quest for your dream job was going to be determined by a 17-way contest to tell the most compelling personal story, wouldn't you be a bit tempted to take a bit of artistic license?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up