It was another tsunami of untruths on the second night of the Republican National Convention. Here are 19 claims that caught our attention. As is our practice, we do not award Pinocchios for a roundup of statements made during convention events.
“Biden has pledged to defund the police.”
— Eric Trump
This is a false claim that has earned President Trump Four Pinocchios. Former vice president Joe Biden does not support “defunding police,” according to the candidate and the campaign. The phrase generally means shrinking the scope of police responsibilities to public safety and changing the tactics used by police officers. Biden backs advocates’ calls to increase spending on social programs separate from local police budgets, but he also wants more funding for police overhauls such as body cameras and training on community policing approaches.
“No, I don’t support defunding the police,” Biden told CBS. “I support conditioning federal aid to police based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness. And, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community and everybody in the community.” Biden has come under fire from the left for his position and for proposing to spend an additional $300 million a year on the community policing program started in the Clinton administration. Continue reading.