Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Idaho’s Rep. Labrador comes in second to Trump for Politifact’s ‘2017 Lie of the Year’

Politifact conducted a poll of its readers on the “2017 Lie of the Year,” and while President Donald Trump calling “the Russia thing” a “made-up story” took first place, it was Idaho’s own 1st District Rep. Raul Labrador who came in second, for saying, “Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.” Labrador’s comment at a Lewiston town hall last spring drew a national firestorm of criticism; he's running for governor of Idaho in 2018.

Politifact’s reader survey drew more than 5,000 responses. Coming in third: Former presidential press secretary Sean Spicer’s claim that Trump had “the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period.”

The Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking website, famous for its “Truth-o-Meter” and “Pants on Fire” rating for the worst lies, is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in U.S. politics. It’s run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, which is owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute. You can read their full “2017 Lie of the Year” report here.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: