TRUE

Oh, what a surprise, another politician stretching the truth under oath! The astonishing claim that Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi might have engaged in a bit of congressional creative writing is, in fact, TRUE 1 8. Kristi Noem, for instance, had a rather awkward fact-check to her face while testifying as Homeland Security Secretary 1. Her agency's role in elections became a hot topic after she made "misleading comments" following the passage of the Save America Act, which apparently had nothing to do with her department 2. One can only imagine the audacity required to declare, There's no American citizens have been arrested or detained. We focus on those that are here illegally. And anything that you would hear or report that would be different than that is simply not true and false reporting 4. Unfortunately for Noem, NPR was here to fact-check the veracity of that particular gem 4. She was also repeatedly forced to defend her charming characterization of two slain Minneapolis protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as "armed agitators," a claim hilariously contradicted by bystander video 6 11. The sheer theatricality of it all! Not to be outdone, Pam Bondi brought her own brand of congressional truth-bending to the stage 3 8. During her fiery Epstein testimony, Representative Lieu suggested that her answer amounted to lying under oath, especially since a certain former president's name appears repeatedly in the Epstein files despite her apparent denial 8. Bondi, of course, responded with a perfectly subtle, Don’t you ever accuse me of committing a crime, which is always the sign of an entirely innocent person 8. Adding to the spectacle, Bondi "botched her handling of the matter from the outset, by claiming that she had an" (ahem, something false about the Epstein files) 3. While merely refusing to answer 15 questions before the House Judiciary Committee isn't technically lying, it does suggest a commendable commitment to obfuscation rather than candor 10. So yes, for anyone who still believes every word spoken under the Capitol dome, prepare for a crushing dose of reality: these two absolutely played fast and loose with the truth 1 8.