AP FACT CHECK: Trump's made-up car plants, court revisionism

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's made-up car plants, court revisionism

SeattlePI.com

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his GOP allies are playing loose with the facts when it comes to a successor for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Seeking to justify a possible confirmation vote before the Nov. 3 election, Trump asserted over the weekend that many high court nominations were made in an election year and “in all cases, they went forward.” That's clearly not true.

In fact, just one hour after Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death in February 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly made clear the Senate should not confirm a successor chosen by President Barack Obama because of the coming election. That slot ultimately went unfilled until after President Donald Trump announced a nominee 11 months later.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday also claimed a “constitutional crisis” if a replacement isn't confirmed right away, insisting Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden has stated he won't accept the election results if he loses. Biden has said he will.

The revisionist GOP history comes following a week of outright falsehoods, on subjects like auto manufacturing, voting fraud and more. Trump told a North Carolina rally that a conversation with the Japanese prime minister led to five new car companies opening in Michigan the next day. That didn't happen.

Biden laid out a broad and largely supported case that Trump has underplayed the severity of the pandemic. But the devil was in the details: No, Trump did not call the coronavirus a hoax.

A look:

GINSBURG

TRUMP, on advancing a Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year: “This has happened numerous times. And every time, there was a nominee, as you know. There’s been many occasions where, frankly, it turned out to be during a presidential year. ......

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