Fact Check: "Donald Trump has lied under oath."
What We Know
The claim that Donald Trump has lied under oath has been a subject of discussion and investigation. A notable instance occurred during a court case where a judge stated that Trump "signed a verification swearing under oath" that certain voter fraud numbers were "true and correct," despite those numbers being inaccurate (Reuters). This suggests that Trump may have knowingly provided false information while under oath.
Additionally, a report from a Georgia grand jury indicated that some witnesses in the investigation into Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results may have committed perjury. However, the report did not specifically name Trump as having lied under oath, stating instead that "a majority of the Grand Jury believes that perjury may have been committed by one or more of the witnesses testifying before it" (BBC).
Furthermore, a separate article highlighted instances where Trump was accused of lying under oath, including admissions made during a libel case against journalist Timothy L. O'Brien, where he acknowledged lying under oath multiple times throughout his life (Nicki Swift).
Analysis
The evidence surrounding the claim that Trump has lied under oath is mixed and requires careful consideration. The statements from the Georgia grand jury report do not directly implicate Trump but raise concerns about the veracity of testimonies from other witnesses (BBC). This indicates that while there may be issues of perjury related to the investigation, it does not conclusively prove that Trump himself lied under oath.
In the case mentioned by Reuters, the judge's comments about Trump signing a verification that included false information provide a stronger basis for the claim that he may have lied under oath (Reuters). However, this instance is specific to a legal context and does not encompass all instances of his public statements or actions.
The source reliability varies; while Reuters and BBC are established news organizations known for their journalistic standards, the article from Nicki Swift, while informative, may not carry the same weight in terms of credibility due to its entertainment focus. Therefore, while there are credible claims suggesting that Trump has lied under oath, the context and specifics of each instance matter significantly.
Conclusion
Verdict: Unverified
The claim that Donald Trump has lied under oath is supported by some credible sources, particularly regarding specific instances in court. However, the overall context and the lack of direct evidence linking Trump to perjury in the grand jury report leave the claim unverified. The complexity of legal definitions of lying under oath and the nuances of each situation contribute to the uncertainty surrounding this claim.
