this is no fact check! #mediabias
— EveryDayAmerican (@MIGNORM) August 4, 2016
In case you’re ever tempted to see @PolitiFact as unbiased https://t.co/9W7wH5xXfY
— Rachael Larimore (@RachaelBL) August 4, 2016
PolitiFact’s never been very good at hiding its bias, but this seems worse than usual:
Checking Patricia Smith's claims at the RNC about Hillary Clinton and Benghazi: https://t.co/qGlD57XWgy pic.twitter.com/1ldclxabLG
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) August 4, 2016
PolitiFact’s Bill Adair and Lauren Carroll write:
Smith said Clinton is responsible. “For all of this loss, for all of this grief, for all of the cynicism the tragedy in Benghazi has wrought upon America, I blame Hillary Clinton. I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.”
Clinton blamed terrorism for the attack in an email to her own daughter Chelsea Clinton, Smith said, but “when I saw Hillary Clinton at Sean’s coffin ceremony, just days later, she looked me squarely in the eye and told me a video was responsible. Since then, I have repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton to explain to me the real reason why my son is dead. I’m still waiting.”
Her comments get right at the heart of the deep partisan divide over Benghazi and Clinton’s role. But the lack of hard evidence makes it impossible to know what really happened between Clinton and these families.
“Impossible to know.” But that’s not gonna stop PolitiFact from trying to get to the bottom of it anyway.
Politifact stupidly factchecked Patricia Smith, concludes they just cannot take her at her word. pic.twitter.com/y1xnxEjDUz
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) August 4, 2016
Pathetic, PolitiFact. Just pathetic.
This is absurd. Smith was there. Certainly she can claim "as fact" events she witnessed.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) August 4, 2016
Politifact's real problem here is that it doesn't have the evidence to come right out and call Smith a liar.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) August 4, 2016
So instead, it's this vague-ish, "we just can't draw conclusions" about this eye-witness account.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) August 4, 2016
how do you "fact check" a she said-she said about a private conversation? What's the point of that, anyway?
— Matt Berry ☘️ (@mttbry) August 4, 2016
The point is to paint Smith as a liar. PolitiFact had no reason to “fact check” Smith except to impugn her character and suggest that Hillary is a victim.
Note to PolitiFact:
Also there's absurdity to extend HRC any benefit of doubt. She cited the video at the podium next to the coffins. @Popehat @gabrielmalor
— Blame Big Government (@BlameBigGovt) August 4, 2016
Editor’s note: Though PolitiFact tweeted out this fact check of Smith earlier today, the piece was actually written last month. Twitchy covered it here.
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