Has GM settled its debt with the government?
By Robert Farley
Published on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 5:53 p.m.
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GM has "repaid our government loan, in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule."
Ed Whitacre, Wednesday, April 21st, 2010.
Ruling: Half-True | Details
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GM CEO Ed Whitacre takes to the TV airwaves to trumpet the company's repayment of government loans.
If you've watched any TV in the last week, you've likely seen the TV ad with GM CEO Ed Whitacre boasting, "We have repaid our government loan, in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule."
It's true that GM has squared up on its government loans, but Whitacre isn't telling the full story here.
For example, he doesn't mention that more than $40 billion the U.S. government invested in GM stock, which most experts agree taxpayers are unlikely to ever see a full return on.
We rated Whitacre's statement Half True.
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