{"id":299306,"date":"2017-03-03T10:12:31","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T17:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=299306"},"modified":"2017-03-03T10:12:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T17:12:31","slug":"five-trump-cabinet-members-whove-made-false-statements-to-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/03\/five-trump-cabinet-members-whove-made-false-statements-to-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Trump Cabinet members who\u2019ve made false statements to Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_72372\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/gageskidmore\/5440990018\/in\/photolist-9hNuLJ-9hKrun-9hHqDv-9hLwdw-9hNwso-9hHpJr-9hLx6s-9hLwSC-9hKpTt-9hKraP-9hNwi1-9hKp4g-9hNvWh-HkLZL-2oQiC-9KUYs-9hLxAs-9VjNra-9KD2oX-qu7Gu-9rmBGH-9VT6fh-uooUsi-5RhK99-9hNwCN-9hKpmZ-9hNvfQ-9hKrPH-9hNvzC-9hKoVK-9hKrkx-9u7qjZ-9rd77n-xRyc1-9rknN8-5KnqeT-9rphtQ-9wtCb2-9uayT3-9FTZtY-fNcrqH-vPTJzZ-6Rnrkd-5Dd1xc-bXt9R-4r8psj-vGv8u-uT5y6P-vMTbLN-9DncXb\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-72372 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-771x494.jpg\" alt=\"Donald Trump\" width=\"771\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-771x494.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-336x215.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-768x493.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-1170x750.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-780x500.jpg 780w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Gage Skidmore \/ Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">photo cc info<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As most of the world knows by now, Attorney General Jeff Sessions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say\/2017\/03\/01\/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?utm_term=.84569b893b0b\" target=\"_blank\">did not tell the truth<\/a> when he was asked during his confirmation hearings about contacts with Russian officials.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/five-trump-cabinet-members-made-false-statements-to-congress\" target=\"_blank\">ProPublica<\/a>, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom.\u00a0Sign up for their\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.propublica.org\/forms\/newsletter_daily_email\" target=\"_blank\">newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>But Sessions isn&#8217;t the only one.<\/p>\n<p>At least four other cabinet members made statements during their nomination hearings that are contradicted by actual facts: EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.<\/p>\n<p>The statements were all made under oath, except those of DeVos. It is a crime to &#8220;knowingly&#8221; lie in testimony to Congress, but it&#8217;s rarely prosecuted.<\/p>\n<p>If you know of instances that we&#8217;ve missed, <a href=\"mailto:eric.umansky@propublica.org\" target=\"_blank\">email ProPublica<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>EPA Chief Scott Pruitt<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The falsehood:<\/strong> Pruitt stated in testimony that he had never used a private email account to conduct business while he was Oklahoma&#8217;s attorney general.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The truth:<\/strong> Fox News 25 asked the state Attorney General&#8217;s office whether Pruitt had used a personal email. <a href=\"http:\/\/okcfox.com\/news\/fox-25-investigates\/ags-office-confirms-pruitt-used-private-email-for-state-business\" target=\"_blank\">The answer was yes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press <a href=\"http:\/\/hosted2.ap.org\/APDEFAULT\/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa\/Article_2017-02-27-AP-US--EPA-Pruitt-Emails\/id-c10c5a90d41743aea342ecebf46f838b\" target=\"_blank\">also received emails in response<\/a> to a public records request showing Pruitt using a private account to conduct state business.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pruitt&#8217;s response: <\/strong>None.<\/p>\n<h3>Education Secretary Betsy DeVos<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The falsehood:<\/strong> DeVos said during her confirmation hearings that she has not been involved in her family&#8217;s foundation, which has given millions of dollars to group that oppose LGBT rights.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You sit on the board,&#8221; Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., noted. DeVos responded, &#8220;I do not.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The truth:<\/strong> As The Intercept has detailed, tax filings have listed DeVos as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AnnieWaldman\/status\/821523957513916420\" target=\"_blank\">vice president of the foundation&#8217;s board for 17 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DeVos&#8217; response:<\/strong> She said the foundation&#8217;s nearly <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/01\/18\/politics\/betsy-devos-focus-on-the-family-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\">two decades of filings were the result of a &#8220;clerical error.&#8221; <\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The falsehood:<\/strong> In written testimony, Mnuchin denied that his former bank had used so-called &#8220;robo-signing&#8221; to improperly foreclose on homeowners. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2017\/01\/30\/mnuchin-again-denies-robo-signing-despite-yet-more-evidence-he-is-lying\/\" target=\"_blank\">OneWest Bank did not \u2018robo-sign&#8217; documents<\/a>,&#8221; Mnuchin wrote.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>The truth:<\/strong> As the Columbus Dispatch detailed, OneWest Bank employees <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dispatch.com\/news\/20170129\/trump-treasury-pick-mnuchin-misled-senate-on-foreclosures-ohio-cases-show\" target=\"_blank\">frequently signed documents in bulk<\/a> without proper review, which is what robo-signing is. One employee testified that she typically signed about 750 foreclosure documents per week. The Dispatch noted that a judge stopped three OneWest Bank foreclosures &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dispatch.com\/news\/20170129\/trump-treasury-pick-mnuchin-misled-senate-on-foreclosures-ohio-cases-show\" target=\"_blank\">specifically based on inaccurate robo-signings<\/a>.&#8221; Reuters also detailed the bank&#8217;s robo-signing <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-foreclosure-banks-idUSTRE76H5XX20110718\" target=\"_blank\">back in 2011<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mnuchin&#8217;s response:<\/strong> A spokesman offered the following <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/tipsheets\/morning-money\/2017\/01\/inside-the-corporate-fear-over-trump-218486\" target=\"_blank\">statement<\/a> after the Dispatch&#8217;s story: &#8220;The media is picking on a hard-working bank employee whose reputation has been maligned but whose work has been upheld by numerous courts all around the country in the face of scurrilous and false allegations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The falsehood:<\/strong> During his confirmation hearings, Price insisted that the discount he got on a biotech stock was &#8220;available to every single individual that was an investor at the time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The truth:<\/strong> As The Wall Street Journal reported, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/rep-tom-price-got-privileged-discounted-offer-on-biomedical-stock-company-says-1485800769\" target=\"_blank\">fewer than 20 investors in the U.S. were offered the discount<\/a>, including Price.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Price&#8217;s response:<\/strong> Price did not respond to the Journal&#8217;s story.<\/p>\n<h3>Attorney General Jeff Sessions<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The falsehood:<\/strong> Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., asked Sessions whether &#8220;anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Session responded: <strong>&#8220;<\/strong>Sen. Franken, I&#8217;m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The truth:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say\/2017\/03\/01\/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Yes, he did. <\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sessions&#8217; response:<\/strong> His office&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/politics\/wp\/2017\/03\/02\/what-jeff-sessions-said-about-russia-and-when\/?utm_term=.8ddfb4f4dc23\" target=\"_blank\">first statement<\/a>: &#8220;I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An anonymous White House official gave a New York Times reporter a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnJHarwood\/status\/837137235908657154\" target=\"_blank\">different take<\/a>, saying Sessions and the ambassador did talk and &#8220;had superficial comments about election-related news.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sessions&#8217; spokeswoman later said Sessions often spoke with &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/investigators-probed-jeff-sessions-contacts-with-russian-officials-1488424871\" target=\"_blank\">foreign ambassadors as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.<\/a>&#8221; Washington Post reporters asked all 26 members of the committee if they spoke to the Russian ambassador in 2016. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/adamentous\/status\/837390959193309186?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\">Sessions was the only one<\/a>.<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pixel.propublica.org\/pixel.js\" async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3307,116],"class_list":["post-299306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-donald-trump","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}