AP FACT CHECK: Trump muddies facts on mail ballots, Harris
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is muddying the facts about mail-in voting and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.
Asked to disclaim the racist conspiracy theory that Harris isn't eligible to serve in the White House because of her immigrant parents, Trump repeatedly demurred and said he knew little about it, even as the false rumors swirled on social media over the past week. Harris unquestionably meets the Constitution's requirements to be vice president. On Sunday, Trump's own White House chief of staff acknowledged her eligibility.
Trump also continued to blast mail-in voting as flawed and fraudulent while insisting that absentee mail ballots, especially in states like Florida that he must win in November, are quite fine and safe. There are little differences in security measures between the two.
His weekend claims capped a litany of distortion and falsehoods following Joe Biden's announcement of Harris as his running mate. He misrepresented Biden's position on taxes, persisted in minimizing the coronavirus threat and exaggerated his own record on the economy.
A look at the past week's rhetoric, also covering Social Security and more:
MAIL VOTING
TRUMP: “Absentee is good; mail-in, universal is very, very bad. There’s no way they’re going to get it accurately.” — news conference Saturday.
TRUMP: “The honorable thing to do is drop the Mail-In Scam before it is too late! Absentee Ballots, like they have in Florida, are good!” — tweet Saturday.
THE FACTS: He's making a false distinction. Mail-in ballots are cast in the same way as absentee mail ballots, with the same level of scrutiny such as signature verification in many states.
In more than 30 states and the District of Columbia,...
