Rachel Maddow ran a segment fact-checking the “untrue things” that Donald Trump said during Monday night’s presidential debate.
“The fact-checking, certainly, could be done,” Maddow argued. “I mean most people could do it off the top of their heads.”
Unfortunately, Maddow appears not to be one of those people.
Let’s go over the evidence:
“Pres. George H.W. Bush Signed NAFTA”
Bush One began NEGOTIATING the North American Free Trade Agreement back in 1990.
However, Bush’s term ended prior to the treaty’s Congressional ratification (November 1993). It was eventually signed into law by President Bill Clinton on December 8, 1993 and went into effect January of 1994.
“NYC Murder Rate Going Down”
The murder rate in New York City steadily declined throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s and bottomed out at 328 per year in 2014.
Still, 2015 saw a 7 percent increase in the murder rate. So, technically, the murder rate is not going down. (RELATED: Hillary AND Trump Were Wrong About The NYC Murder Rate)
“Trump In Favor Of Iraq War Before It Started”
Trump himself addressed this accusation in the debate.
Maddow was likely referencing Trump’s 2003 Howard Stern interview, in which he expressed support for Bush Two’s plan. (VIDEO: Nothing To See Here, Just Trump Criticizing The Iraq War In 2003)
Trump has since admitted that at the time of the Stern interview, he didn’t really know what he was talking about, yet after discussing the issue with Fox’s Sean Hannity — who strongly supported the war — Trump began to oppose it. (RELATED: Hannity Confirms Trump’s Anti-War Stance)
WATCH:
“Hillary Clinton Did Not Originate Fake Birth Certificate Conspiracy”
How much time do you have?
While Trump certainly was on of the birther movement’s most prominent champions, there’s no denying the role Hillary Clinton played in perpetuating those rumors.
Former McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief James Asher recalls how long-time Clinton surrogate Sydney Blumenthal petitioned reporters to cover the rumors back in 2007. (RELATED: Clinton Surrogate ‘Pitched’ Obama Birther During Primary)
@HillaryClinton So why did your man #sidblumenthal spread the #obama birther rumor to me in 2008, asking us to investigate? Remember?
— James Asher (@jimasher) September 16, 2016
Still, no one describes it better than President Obama’s former top aide Reggie Love, who noted that the moment when POTUS finally called out Clinton on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport for spreading those lies was the moment the Obama team knew it had locked up the 2008 Democratic nomination. (RELATED: Former Top Aide Recalls The Time Obama Chewed Out Hillary For Spreading Lies About Him)
In a matter of seconds, she went from composed to furious. It had not been Obama’s intention to upset her, but he wasn’t going to play the fool either. To all of us watching the spat unfold, it was an obvious turning point in our campaign, and we knew it. Clinton was no less competitive or committed to a cause than Obama, and the electric tension running through both candidates and their respective staffs reflected the understanding that she was no longer the de facto Democratic candidate. Her inevitability had been questioned.
