A running compilation of fact-checking during the vice-presidential debate between Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
U.S. forces in Iraq: Pence said Clinton failed to keep U.S. troops in Iraq, leading to the rise of ISIS. An analysis by PolitiFact calls this “mostly false,” concluding “there is no reason to believe the administration simply walked away from a deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq.”
Pence’s refugee ban was indeed shot down: Kaine rightly noted that just this week a U.S. Court of Appeals blocked the Indiana governor’s order to halt federal funding for groups working to resettle Syrians in the state. Pence asserted that terrorists could pose as refugees to enter the U.S., a claim for which the court’s three judges – all conservative – found no evidence, as the New York Times pointed out.
Kaine wrongly blames Bush tax cuts: Kaine compared Trump’s tax plan to that of George W. Bush in 2006, which Kaine claimed “put the economy into the deepest recession … since the 1930s.” That’s wrong, the Washington Post notes, as no credible economist would pin the Great Recession squarely on Bush’s tax cuts. The housing bubble was the major cause.
How much goes to charity? Pence stated that only 10 percent of the Clinton Global Foundation funds go to charities. A similar claim by Carly Fiorina’s campain prompted FactCheck.org to take a look. While the effectiveness of the programs could not be measured, financial records show 88 percent of funds collected went to charities in 2013.
