This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Well, Jason Chaffetz didn't get elected speaker of the House. And he didn't win the PolitiFact Lie of the Year, either.
Kind of a wash.
The Utah congressman's embarrassing attempt to catch the head of Planned Parenthood with a phony chart was one of 11 nominees in the readers choice poll accompanying the 2015 Lie of the Year, er, award. But, as might be expected, Jason's No Y Axis chart came in a distant fourth, with 7.2 percent of the votes, behind Donald Trump (47 percent), Donald Trump (13.2 percent) and, of course, Donald Trump (10 percent).
— Chaffetz in line for a dubious achievement — George Pyle | The Salt Lake Tribune
— 2015 Readers' Poll results — PolitiFact
"One politician thoroughly trumped his competition for the most significant falsehood in our 2015 Readers' Poll, taking home first, second and third place.
"The overall winner of the Readers' Poll for the 2015 Lie of the Year was this one, from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: 'I watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering' as the World Trade Center collapsed. ..."
"It's the trope on Trump: He's authentic, a straight-talker, less scripted than traditional politicians. That's because Donald Trump doesn't let facts slow him down. Bending the truth or being unhampered by accuracy is a strategy he has followed for years. ..."