Donald Trump: "We (Trump University) have an 'A' from the Better Business Bureau."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Fact-checking Donald Trump's claims about Trump University Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's challengers have called him many things; add to that list the charge from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio that Trump is a con man. Rubio's recent attacks have focused on allegations of false marketing by Trump University. It wasn't a real university -- and had to change its name to Trump Entrepreneur Institute because of that. It was largely a seminar program that promised to teach its students the real estate secrets that turned Trump into a billionaire. With some participants paying as much as $35,000, the project drew investigations and lawsuits in at least three states. The ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: When Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate, "that was the end" of Romney's chances to win.

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Picking Paul Ryan ended Mitt Romney's chances of winning the White House in 2012, Donald Trump says Reflecting on the 2012 presidential campaign, Donald Trump blamed Mitt Romney's loss on his choice of a running mate: Paul Ryan. "That was the end of that campaign, by the way, when they chose Ryan," Trump said Feb. 17, 2016 on the campaign trail in South Carolina. "And I like him. He's a nice person, but that was the end of the campaign." In some quarters, Romney's choice of the Republican congressman from Janesville, who is now speaker of the House, was seen as boosting the GOP nominee's chances. Democrat Barack Obama, of course, defeated the former ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says Ted Cruz "said I was in favor in Libya. I never discussed that subject."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Donald Trump's Pants on Fire claim he never discussed Libya intervention At the GOP debate in Houston, Donald Trump pushed back at a claim from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz that Trump was in favor of the United States helping Libyans oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi. "He said I was in favor in Libya," Trump said, sounding perplexed. "I never discussed that subject. I was in favor of Libya? We would be so much better off if Gaddafi would be in charge right now." Oh, Trump discussed it. And thanks to BuzzFeed, we have the video. (All the hat tips to Andrew Kaczynski.) It comes from 2011, on Trump's video blog. ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "If it weren't for me … (illegal immigration) wouldn't even be a big subject."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump wrongly claims he started immigration debate Count on Donald Trump to repeat his talking points. The Republican presidential debate in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 25, 2016, opened with a discussion about illegal immigration. Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz sparred over how to deal with people living here illegally and how to secure the southern U.S. border. In the middle of the back-and-forth, Trump made the blanket statement that we wouldn't be talking about illegal immigration if not for him. "If it weren't for me … (illegal immigration) wouldn't even be a big subject," Trump said. It's a line we've heard from Trump since ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says that in the Philippines more than a century ago, Gen. John Pershing "took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pigs' blood," and shot 49 Muslim rebels. "The 50th person, he said, 'You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened.' And for 25 years, there wasn't a problem."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Donald Trump cites dubious legend about Gen. Pershing, pig's blood and Muslims Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raised eyebrows during a recent rally when he offered a counterinsurgency parable from more than a century ago that featured United States Army Gen. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing. During a Feb. 19, 2016, rally in North Charleston, S.C., Trump referred to an anecdote from the aftermath of the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, when the United States sought to exert its authority over the Asian archipelago, which it had recently obtained from Spain after winning the Spanish-American War. After taking the reins of power from Spain, the United States faced armed opposition, and the three-year ... >> More

Origin: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: With Obamacare, "You have no options .. you can't get competitive bidding."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Trump wrongly says Obamacare has 'no options,' competitive bidding Donald Trump vows he'll do away with Obamacare. He calls it a "disaster" and says "it's going to be repealed. It's going to be replaced." But beyond that, it can be hard to tell what Trump would actually do. "We're going to have great plans, they're going to be a lot less expensive than Obamacare," Trump said on NBC's Meet the Press. "They're going to be private. And there are going to be lots of ... We're going to have a lot of different options. Right now, you have no options. You know why? Because the insurance company ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "In New Hampshire, I spent $3 million. Jeb Bush spent $44 million. He came in five, and I came in number one."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Donald Trump compares his spending and New Hampshire primary results to Jeb Bush Donald Trump brought a souvenir from the New Hampshire primary with him to the GOP debate in South Carolina last weekend, and he appeared eager to dangle it over Jeb Bush's head. It's nothing new to see the billionaire businessman tangling with the former Florida governor – but this piece of data he twice repeated was a novel talking point, seeking to illustrate the efficiency of his campaign compared to Bush's. "In New Hampshire, I spent $3 million. Jeb Bush spent $44 million. He came in five, and I came in No. 1," Trump said. Trump ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Says Jeb Bush "said he would take his pants off and moon everybody ... Nobody reports that."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Donald Trump wrongly says Jeb Bush said he would 'moon everybody' and 'nobody reports that' Jeb Bush took Donald Trump to task over the language he has used on the campaign trail in a Republican debate in South Carolina. That included Trump's comments about women and Sen. John McCain, as well as an accusation that he mocked a disabled reporter who has a physical impairment, which Trump denied. Trump fired back that Bush has been a potty mouth but has gotten away with it. "Two days ago, he said he would take his pants off and moon everybody," Trump said Feb. 13. "And that's fine -- nobody reports that. ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: On the Iraq war, "I said it loud and clear, 'You'll destabilize the Middle East.' "

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump was not 'loud and clear' in Iraq War opposition In one of the most heated and personal back-and-forths from a debate this cycle, Donald Trump eviscerated former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for supporting his brother's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Trump stood by his comment in 2008 that Democrats should have impeached President George W. Bush over the invasion when asked about it in the Feb. 13 CBS debate in South Carolina. Trump vigorously refuted Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio's statements hailing the former president's leadership, saying, "The World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush. He kept us safe? That is not safe." ... >> More

Origin: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "Don't believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number's probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Donald Trump repeats Pants on Fire claim that unemployment rate could be 42 percent During his victory speech after the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump repeated a claim he'd made several times before. "Don't believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment," Trump said. "The number's probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent." Actually, Trump's the one who shouldn't be believed. Numbers that high are not even close to accurate. To understand why, let's start by discussing how the official unemployment rate is calculated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a federal agency, uses surveys and statistical sampling to calculate how many Americans ... >> More

Credit: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "I'm self-funding my own campaign."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Is Donald Trump self-funding his campaign? Sort of President Donald Trump wouldn't be beholden to special interests, he says. Why? Because billionaires aren't paying for his campaign. "You know a lot of times you see these really dumb deals," he said of current political leaders at an Iowa rally Feb. 1. "And you'll say that's dumb. It doesn't make sense. But then when you think, it does make sense because these politicians are representing interests, whether it's a country or a company, where doing the stupid deals actually makes sense only for that politician and for that company or country." In contrast, Trump said, "I'm self-funding my own ... >> More

Via: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "We're spending tremendous amounts of money to educate our kids. In the world, we're No. 1 per pupil by a factor of four."

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Trump is off on claim that the United States spends the most on education As Donald Trump speechified his way through Iowa auditoriums and gyms to his No. 2 finish in the Republican caucuses, he made a lot of claims in a lot of places. Many of those reinforced a central theme: Professional politicians are failing and President Trump's business and personal savvy would be the antidote. His claim that the United States outspends other countries on K-12 education by a "factor of four" was part of that narrative. And it caught our attention. "We spend more money than anyone else any other country in the world by a lot," he went on to ... >> More

Source: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: "Right now we're the highest taxed country in the world."

The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Donald Trump calls U.S. 'the highest taxed country in the world' Donald Trump blamed high taxes for stunting job growth in the United States during a GOP primary debate in New Hampshire. When ABC moderators pressed the real estate mogul for specifics about how he would boost the economy, Trump said he wanted to cut taxes for the middle class and businesses. "Right now we're the highest taxed country in the world," Trump said on Feb. 6, 2016. Trump's campaign didn't respond to us, but his claim could be accurate if he had been more specific. We've previously rated a statement that the United States has the highest corporate tax rate ... >> More

Hat Tip To: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Donald Trump: Regarding the Iraq War, "I was the one that said, 'Don't go, don't do it, you're going to destabilize the Middle East.' "

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Donald Trump overstates his early opposition to the Iraq War Donald Trump says he has the temperament to be president, and his position against the Iraq War proves it. "The War in Iraq — I was the one that said, 'Don't go, don't do it, you're going to destabilize the Middle East,' " the Republican front runner said at the Feb. 6, 2016, New Hampshire GOP debate. Several media outlets have cast doubt on Trump's claim that he spoke out against the Iraq War, pointing out that he didn't appear to take any public position on the war until after the March 2003 invasion. Because Trump keeps ... >> More

Original: Politifact.com: Statements from Donald Trump

Bill seeks to increase D.C.'s judicial transparency

Legislation calls for making D.C. judges' financial disclosures more accessible in wake of Center for Public Integrity report.

Source: The Center for Public Integrity Latest Stories

White House race nearing $1 billion

Big-money super PACs have raised almost half the cash fueling the 2016 presidential contest.

Source: The Center for Public Integrity Latest Stories

What's hiding in presidential campaign finance disclosures

End-of-year reports contain plenty of oddities and curiosities.

Source: The Center for Public Integrity Latest Stories