PolitiFact: The 2014 Lie of the Year Finalists
PolitiFact and PunditFact will soon announce our Lie of the Year — the most significant falsehood of 2014, as chosen by our editors and reporters.
We’re also inviting PolitiFact readers to vote online for the Readers’ Choice award. The Lie of the Year will be announced later this month. To vote online, visit www.politifact.com.
We accept write-ins.
Here are our 10 finalists:
President Obama and immigration policy
“My position hasn’t changed” on using executive authority to address immigration issues.
— Barack Obama on Sunday, Nov. 16, in a press conference in Australia.
Debate over Keystone XL pipeline
The State Department says the 42,000 jobs created by the Keystone XL pipeline are “ongoing, enduring jobs.”
— Russ Girling on Sunday, Nov. 16, in comments on ABC’s This Week
The Ebola virus
Some doctors say Ebola can be transmitted through the air by “a sneeze or some cough.”
— George Will on Sunday, Oct. 19, in comments on Fox News Sunday
ISIS and the U.S.-Mexico border
“At least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas,” and there are “dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol.”
— Duncan Hunter on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News
Mitch McConnell and campaign finance
“The only candidate pocketing big money from people who want to destroy coal is Mitch McConnell.”
— Alison Lundergan Grimes on Monday, Oct. 6, in a campaign ad
President Obama’s ISIS comment
Says his comment about extremists being a JV team “wasn’t specifically referring to” Islamic State.
— Barack Obama on Sunday, Sept. 7, in an interview on Meet the Press
Global warming and the environment
“Global warming is a hoax.”
— Lenar Whitney on Wednesday, June 25, in a YouTube video
Ebloa virus and the U.S.-Mexico border
Amid the “crisis at our southern border,” there are “reports of illegal migrants carrying deadly diseases such as … Ebola virus.”
— Phil Gingrey on Monday, July 7, in a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Debate over Affordable Care Act
The United States has seen “a net loss of people with health insurance” because of Obamacare.
— John Boehner on Thursday, March 13, in a press conference
President Obama and executive orders
Says President Barack Obama has issued upwards of 1,000 executive orders, more than any modern president.
— Chain email on Sunday, Feb. 2, in a chain email forwarded by readers
This story was originally published December 6, 2014 at 10:54 PM with the headline "PolitiFact: The 2014 Lie of the Year Finalists."