On Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press,” President Obama told host Chuck Todd to “keep in mind [he] wasn’t specifically referring to (Islamic State)” when he made his infamous comment that “if a JV team puts on Lakers uniforms, that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant.”
PolitiFact today rated that claim “false,” concluding:
Obama may not have specifically said Islamic State, but it’s clear he was talking about them. [New Yorker editor David] Remnick was referencing events in Syria and Iraq, particularly the takeover of Fallujah, which was conducted by Islamic State, and Obama referred to the group responsible for that as “a JV team.”
Obama said his JV comment “wasn’t specifically referring to ISIL.” He was not specifically asked about Islamic State, but it’s pretty clear this is the group that was being referenced in the conversation. The transcript backs this up, as do news events from the time of the discussion.
POTUS: I didn't mean #ISIS when i made "JV team" comment.
Per @PolitiFact (& @GlennKesslerWP before that): False.http://t.co/LOnFolv3ej
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 7, 2014
On MTP, Obama says he wasn’t specifically referring to ISIS as “JV" team. Worth reading @GlennKesslerWP on WH spin: http://t.co/mP2MI2o4kB
— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) September 7, 2014
White House fact checker Glenn Keller came to the same conclusion Sept. 3, awarding White House spokesman Josh Earnest four Pinocchios for claiming the president “was not singling out ISIL, he was talking about the very different threat that is posed by a range of extremists around the globe.”
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@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP How do you know when #Obama is lying? #rhetoricalquestion
— clayjohanson (@clayjohanson) September 7, 2014
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@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP Why would he tell such a transparent lie now? Because low info voters won't realize it's a lie?
— Brian Cates //Flynn & Breitbart's Army! (@drawandstrike) September 7, 2014
@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP Obama lied right to Todd's face and didn't get called on it.
— ed (@eleventy17) September 7, 2014
https://twitter.com/Woodpecker143/status/508744529436889088
@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP It's official. @PolitiFact is racist
— Jack Savidge (@jacksavidge) September 7, 2014
@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP wait, what? This guy thinks we are stupid. Same as it wasn't his call to pull troops from Iraq.
— Randall (@Bonesinis) September 7, 2014
@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP Chuck Todd should be ashamed for letting him reiterate that bold face lie on national TV
— thomas boutsikaris (@thomboots) September 7, 2014
https://twitter.com/NathanKleinDC/status/508752808141938688
@jaketapper @PolitiFact @GlennKesslerWP He's lied about stuff before. Why is this one any different?
— Charles Flemming (@ChasFlemming) September 7, 2014
Obama has a habit of lying about what he said and assuming (usually correctly) that the media will cover for him: https://t.co/ByCQ8xlYWT
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) September 7, 2014
@AG_Conservative my only objection: the word "habit." Makes it sound he does it unintentionally
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) September 7, 2014
@AG_Conservative @JonahNRO Change to "tactic" and you have a perfect Tweet.
— mediapostate (@mediapostate) September 7, 2014
@AG_Conservative @JonahNRO could've stopped tweet at "lying".
— MJK (@KaneMichaelJ) September 7, 2014
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