(Headline USA) The New York Times finally published a “fact check” of President Joe Biden’s lies on Sunday, but it downplayed them as “tall tales” that either “stretch the truth or are downright false.”
The Times cited several examples of stories Biden has told that have been proven to be false, including his claim that he marched in civil rights protests, that he drove an 18-wheeler truck, that he was the first in his family to go to college, and that his uncle died of cannibalism.
“Mr. Biden persists in telling personal tales with rhetorical flourishes and factual liberty when he works a room or regales an audience,” Times reporter Linda Qiu wrote.
Qiu went on to excuse Biden for his use of “hyperbole,” arguing that he exaggerates to try to connect with different audiences, such as during a speech he gave at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, when he falsely claimed he was nominated to attend the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Times also downplayed Biden’s frequent lies about his participation in the 1960s civil rights movement.
“For decades, Mr. Biden has occasionally suggested that he played a greater role in the civil rights movement than he actually did,” the outlet said.
“While there is corroboration of Mr. Biden’s participation in a few desegregation events, he has also said he would not consider himself an activist in the movement,” it continued. There is no evidence that he was ever arrested.”
Biden has boasted previously about having been on friendly terms with pro-segregationist Democrats during his early years in the U.S. Senate, suggesting that his level of commitment to civil right was not a top priority.
Unsurprisingly, the Times also went on to emphasize that “Biden’s penchant for exaggerating details when recounting episodes form his life … differ in scale and significance from the stream of lies about a stolen election peddled by his opponent, former President Donald Trump.”
The fact check, which appears to be the first the Times has released on Biden, comes after months of tension between the outlet and the Biden campaign.
Biden’s team reportedly has blasted the Times for its negative coverage of the president, while the Times has rebuked Biden’s campaign publicly for its lack of media access.
