Republican Pat Fallon Cites Military Satire Site as Fact During Congressional Hearing on Extremism

[FuzzyRabbit]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/rep-pat-fallon-cites-duffel-blog-a-military-satire-site-as-fact-during-congressional-hearing-on-extremism

Freshman Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) confused everyone at a Wednesday House hearing on extremism in the U.S. military when he asked Lecia Brooks, the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Ms. Brooks, just a yes or no question for you: Has your organization named the American Legion as a hate group?” Brooks said the SPLC had not. Fallon, confident he had sprung a trap, replied, “I’ve found it and it did. And how about—were you aware that the organization named the VFW, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as a hate group?” Again, Brooks said no. Later in the hearing, it came to light that Fallon had cited as fact a 2017 story from Duffel Blog, a military satire site not unlike the Onion.

Fallon's accusations were false. But he also knows that very few people will fact check his accusations, and so will believe that the SPLC really did declare that the VFW and the American Legion are terrorist organizations.

Republicans know very well that "A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on."

[SheltieLover]

1. Qpuke idiot

[dickthegrouch]

2. How do we bring integrity back to politics?

This is so frustrating.
Lying by any kind of official needs to be a felony. Part of the penalty for committing that felony needs to be buying sufficient air and advertising time to correct the record in more than 51% of the public’s mind.

[c-rational]

3. The last line is a kicker.

[Darwins_Retriever]

4. I was a member of the American Legion for a year

(helping the husband of a friend of my wife, who was in charge of the membership drive)

The AL has a quarterly magazine and if you ever read it, you might think they are a terrorist org.

Articles included;
US was going to give the Panama Canal to China for free.
Clinton was going to return Alaska to Russia.
He was also going to give Florida to Cuba.