GAME OVER: PolitiFact and WaPost drop the hammer on Kamala Harris for false statement on Brett Kavanaugh

Greg P. | 2:19 PM on September 11, 2018

Game over, Kamala.

Both PolitiFact and Washington Post have now fact-checked her claim that Brett Kavanaugh called “birth control abortion-inducing drugs?” and found that she’s full of it.

First up, here’s PolitiFact which rated her statement “False”:

NEW! Did Brett Kavanaugh call birth control abortion-inducing drugs? No https://t.co/4wVj1NYyrr #KavanaughConfirmation https://t.co/ieWQFQpbAM

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) September 10, 2018

From their fact check:

Harris tweeted a clip in which Kavanaugh said, “Filling out the form would make them complicit in the provision of the abortion-inducing drugs that they were — as a religious matter, objected to.”

In Harris’ tweet, Kavanaugh appears to define contraception as abortion-inducing. But the video failed to include a crucial qualifier: “They said.” In fact, he was citing the definition of the religious group Priests for Life. He has not expressed his personal view.

We rate this statement False.

With all the BS we’ve seen from PolitiFact this year, it’s great to read this:

tfw not even politifact wants to cover for your shameful lies https://t.co/fQ8zfdMclF

— Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) September 10, 2018

And the Washington Post gave Sen. Harris four Pinocchios on the same statement:

WaPo fact checked this egregious claim and gave @SenKamalaHarris four Pinocchios for it. https://t.co/iIB8AkOjw1 https://t.co/foWKjqlJv2

— Dan Drullinger (@RollieDingers) September 11, 2018

From the Post:

Some might argue that it’s a judgment call, open to legal interpretation, as to whether Kavanaugh “uncritically” used a term that riles advocates of abortion rights.

But a plain reading of Kavanaugh’s answer during the hearings shows that it is broadly consistent with his written opinion. One can question why he used the phrase “abortion-inducing drugs” rather than “abortion-inducing products” or “abortifacients.” But it’s pretty clear from the context that he was quoting the views of the plaintiffs rather than offering a personal view.

Harris’s original tweet, with the “they say” language removed, was slightly mitigated by the second tweet a day later, providing the full context. But there was no acknowledgment by Harris that the original tweet was misleading. She earns Four Pinocchios — and her fellow Democrats should drop this talking point.