Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., warned viewers of looming problems with the Internal Revenue Service playing a role in implementing President Barack Obama's health care law. We take a closer look.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., warned viewers of looming problems with the Internal Revenue Service playing a role in implementing President Barack Obama's health care law. We take a closer look.

Fact-checking Michele Bachmann on the IRS and the health care law

Bachmann's statements get a Mostly False, a False and a Pants on Fire!

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Says Hillary Clinton "was asked repeatedly to provide security in Benghazi on several occasions, including direct cables."

Says it's "estimated that 300 babies a year are sent home from the hospital with an unrecognized congenital heart defect; it is the most common birth defect in America."                   

The IRS is going to be "in charge" of "a huge national database" on health care that will include Americans’ "personal, intimate, most close-to-the-vest-secrets."

The IRS is "going to be in charge of our health care."

"The IRS will have the ability potentially" to deny or delay health care.

Historically, the Social Security tax has been assessed on about 90% of U.S. income. Now it captures 83% because there's been such a growth of income among the highest earners.

Says paid family leave is "a program that is standard in all but five nations around the world."

A 0.05 standard for drunken driving means having a glass of wine at dinner could make a person drunk.

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is buried "not far" from President Kennedy’s grave.

"The Affordable Care Act is bringing the cost of health care in our country down."

"Expanding Medicaid would require borrowing more money, drastically expanding our deficit."

Says Kelly Ayotte voted to "fix background checks."

"We had people that were getting killed (in Benghazi), we had people who are willing to risk their lives to go save them, and somebody told them to stand down."

"Over the last several months, there was a review board headed by two distinguished Americans, Mike Mullen and Tom Pickering, who investigated every element of" the Benghazi incident.

When Susan Rice spoke about Benghazi on Sunday news shows, she said "that al-Qaida might be involved, or other al-Qaida affiliates might be involved, or non-al-Qaida Libyan extremists, which I think demonstrates that there was no effort to play that down."

"70,000 three-year-olds and four-year-olds across America will lose access to the preschool Head Start program. ... 2,000 in the state of Florida alone."

"Only three in 10 young Americans under 30 -- 30 percent under 30 -- have full-time work."

Says he has sued the Obama administration 25 times.

A Wisconsin bill to limit use of food stamps for junk food would also "prevent -- or limit --  the extent to which" food stamps could be used for organic foods.

U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Georgia has helped support the implementation of "Obamacare."

Inside the Meter

PolitiFact wins Green Eyeshade Award for public service in online journalism

PolitiFact, the national politics fact-checking website of the Tampa Bay Times, has won a first place Green Eyeshade Awards in the category public service in ...
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Editor Bill Adair to leave PolitiFact

This summer we say goodbye to Bill Adair, founding editor of PolitiFact. Adair, who helped create the Tampa Bay Times' prize-winning fact-checking site, will join ...
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The Lie of the Year, still

A number of readers emailed us this week about news reports that Chrysler is moving forward with a partnership in China to produce Jeeps. They ...
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See more Inside the Meter posts

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PolitiFact is a project of the Tampa Bay Times to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter:

TRUE – The statement is accurate and there’s nothing significant missing.

MOSTLY TRUE – The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.

HALF TRUE – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context.

MOSTLY FALSE – The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.

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PANTS ON FIRE – The statement is not accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.

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The Obameter is following more than 500 promises made by President Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

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Compromise
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