Donald Trump, Jr. sure takes after his father–repeating already-debunked lies in an effort to go after Hillary Clinton.
GUNS
LIE: Donald Trump Jr.: “She says she’ll issue executive orders to take away Americans’ guns.” “Hillary Clinton is a risk Americans can’t afford to take. She says she’ll issue executive orders to take away Americans’ guns, she wants to appoint judges who will abolish the Second Amendment.”
THE TRUTH:
FactCheck.org: “Donald Trump distorts the facts when he says ‘Hillary Clinton wants to take your guns away.'” “Donald Trump distorts the facts when he says ‘Hillary Clinton wants to take your guns away’ and ‘abolish the Second Amendment.’ Clinton’s gun violence prevention proposal would impose restrictions, including a ban on semi-automatic ‘assault weapons,’ but it does not call for banning all guns.” [FactCheck.org, 5/10/16]
BENGHAZI
LIE: Donald Trump Jr. on Benghazi tragedy: “Secretary Clinton’s State Department had ignored their requests for help, both on the night in question and in the weeks and months leading up to the attack.”
THE TRUTH:
PolitiFact: Several investigations have found “that no action by Clinton — or anybody in the administration — could have moved additional forces to Benghazi before the last American deaths.” “Several investigations have found, however, that no action by Clinton — or anybody in the administration — could have moved additional forces to Benghazi before the last American deaths. And if it were possible, Clinton was not responsible for sending help. That fell to military officials.” [PolitiFact, 7/14/16]
Even Trey Gowdy admitted that there was no question military assets could not have reached Benghazi in time to prevent the deaths of four Americans. “It’s a question congressional investigators have long been seeking to answer: Could the military have reached the besieged diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, in time to prevent the killings of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, the night of Sept. 11, 2012? The chairman of the House Benghazi committee — echoing comments by his top lawyer — now says no. ‘Whether or not they could have gotten there in time, I don’t think there is any issue with respect to that. They couldn’t,’ Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., told Fox News this week.” [AP, 5/18/16]
Several physical upgrades and repairs were implemented at the Benghazi compound throughout the course of 2012. “It is incumbent upon the Board, however, to acknowledge that several upgrades and repairs took place over 2012. DS provided additional funding for the Local Guard Force (LGF),February 17, and residential security upgrades, including heightening the outer perimeter wall, safety grills on safe area egress windows that helped save the life of ARSO 1 on the night of September 11, concrete jersey barriers, manual drop-arm vehicle barriers, a steel gate for the Villa C safe area, some locally manufactured steel doors, sandbag fortifications, security cameras, some additional security lighting, guard booths, and an Internal Defense Notification System.” [Accountability Review Board report, 12/18/12]
PolitiFact gave Donald Trump’s claim that the Benghazi victims were “left helpless to die as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed” a rating of “False.” “Trump said the Benghazi victims were ‘left helpless to die as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed.’ Clinton was not literally sleeping when the Benghazi attacks unfolded, as it was mid afternoon on a Tuesday in Washington. She worked late into the night, as is evidenced by an 11 p.m. email. If we take Trump’s claim more broadly, that Clinton was inattentive throughout the hours in which the attacks occurred, none of the many congressional investigations into Benghazi have made that assertion. We rate Trump’s claim False.” [PolitiFact, 6/23/16]
MEDICARE
LIE: Donald Trump Jr.: “[We are going to elect] A president who will repeal and replace Obamacare without leaving our most vulnerable citizens without health care and who will do it without destroying Medicare for seniors as Hillary Clinton has proposed.”
THE TRUTH: Hillary Clinton is Committed and preserving and expanding Medicare.
Hillary Clinton is committed to preserving, protecting, and strengthening Medicare. “Throughout her career, Hillary has stood up for Medicare and Social Security. She is committed to preserving, protecting, and strengthening these lifelines for today’s seniors and for future generations. […] Fight back against Republican plans to privatize or ‘phase out’ Medicare as we know it. Republicans have called for privatizing or even ‘phasing out’ Medicare and shifting millions more seniors into private plans that would dramatically raise costs. Hillary will stand against these attempts to weaken the program.” [Hillary for America, Issues: Health care, (accessed, 7/19/16)]
Hillary Clinton wants to expand Medicare by allowing people below the Medicare age to opt into the program. “Hillary Clinton on Saturday announced her plan to expand investments in community health care centers, the second of two proposals in a week apparently aimed at courting supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders ahead of his possible endorsement. The presumptive Democratic nominee’s proposal would double funding for primary care services at Federally Qualified Health Centers, which serve populations with limited access to health care. Community health care centers have been a key priority for Sanders, I-Vt., who successfully fought for the inclusion of $11 billion in funding for such centers in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Clinton also affirmed her commitment to giving Americans in every state the choice of a ‘public-option’ insurance plan — which she supported during her 2008 presidential campaign and Sanders pushed for during the ACA debate — and allowing people below Medicare age to opt into the program by offering it to those who are 55 and older.” [USA Today, 7/10/16]