Obama Runs Afoul Of The Fact Checkers

DURING AN INTERVIEW LAST WEEK, OBAMA SAID “FAST AND FURIOUS” STARTED UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Obama: “Well, First Of All, I Think It’s Important For Us To Understand That The Fast And Furious Program Was A Field-Initiated Program Begun Under The Previous Administration.” UNIVISION’S JORGE RAMOS: “Mr. President, you told me during an interview that you—Eric Holder or you did not authorize the Fast and Furious operation that allowed 2,000 weapons from the United States to Mexico, and they were in drug-trafficking hands. I think that up to 100 Mexicans might have died, and also American agent, Brian Terry. There’s a report that 14 agents were responsible for the operation. But shouldn’t Attorney General Eric Holder—he should have known about that. And if he didn’t, should you fire him?” OBAMA: “Well, first of all, I think it’s important for us to understand that the Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program begun under the previous administration.” (President Barack Obama, Univision Town Hall , Miami, FL, 9/20/12)

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“FAST AND FURIOUS” BEGAN UNDER OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION IN 2009

ABC’s Jake Tapper: “Asked About The Fast And Furious Program At The Univision Forum On Thursday, President Obama Falsely Claimed That The Program Began Under President George W. Bush…In Actuality, The Fast And Furious Program Was Started In October 2009, Nine Months Into The Obama Presidency.” (Jake Tapper, “President Obama Falsely Claims Fast And Furious Program ‘Begun Under The Previous Administration,” ABC News’s “ Political Punch ,” 9/21/12)

Politifact Rated Obama’s Statement “False”

Politifact: “Fast and Furious Did Begin During The Time Obama Held Office.” “Obama said that ‘the Fast and Furious program began under the previous administration.’ That is not the case; Fast and Furious did begin during the time Obama held office. Another similar program, called Operation Wide Receiver, did happen during the Bush administration, and a recent inspector general’s report criticized both operations as ineffective and seriously flawed. But Operation Wide Receiver is not the same thing as the Fast and Furious program. We rate Obama’s statement False.” (Angie Drobnic Holan And Amy Sherman, “Barack Obama Said ‘Fast And Furious’ Began Under The Bush Administration,” Politifact, 9/20/12)

• The Inspector General’s Report “Clearly Shows That Fast And Furious Began Under The Obama Administration, Dating Its Inception To October 2009.” “A day before Obama’s Univision interview, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Inspector General released a 512-page report about Fast and Furious. ‘Our review of Operation Fast and Furious and related matters revealed a series of misguided strategies, tactics, errors in judgment and management failures,’ the report noted. The report also clearly shows that Fast and Furious began under the Obama administration, dating its inception to October 2009. (Obama took office in January 2009.) This directly contradicts Obama’s claim.” (Angie Drobnic Holan And Amy Sherman, “Barack Obama Said ‘Fast And Furious’ Began Under The Bush Administration,” Politifact, 9/20/12)

The Fact Checker Gave Obama Three Pinocchios

The Fact Checker: “Obama Earns Three Pinocchios For His Comments About Fast And Furious.” “Clearly, ATF didn’t develop the practice of gun walking under the current administration. But Obama specifically referred to ‘the Fast and Furious program,’ which unquestionably started during his term as president. That operation was not ‘begun under the previous administration.’ Perhaps the president made a mistake, and he really meant to talk about gun-walking in general instead of a particular gun-walking operation. But he could also be trying to wash his hands of any accountability for a program that launched on his watch and put 2,000 powerful firearms on U.S. and Mexican streets. Either way, we can’t let politicians get away with this sort of egregious factual mistake. Otherwise they’ll start making them on purpose. For what it’s worth, Obama has shirked responsibility for politically hot failures in the past. He earned two Pinocchios in a previous column for saying his administration wasn’t at fault ‘per se’ for the $535 million federal loan that went to the now-bankrupt solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra. Obama earns three Pinocchios for his comments about Fast and Furious. His factual error sends a message that the previous administration is responsible for gun walking and Operation Fast and Furious.” (Josh Hicks, “Obama’s Univision Denial That Fast And Furious Started On His Watch,” The Washington Post’s “ The Fact Checker ,” 9/21/12)