Politifact rates Warner statement on Gillespie ‘False’ … should have been ‘Pants On Fire’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

When Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) made the comment during the Greenbrier Virginia Bar Association debate that Ed Gillespie had supported a personhood bill, Gillespie told him right then he was making it up.

Now Politifact has agreed that Warner was wrong but they simply rated the accusation as “False.

Should have been “Pants On Fire.”

Here’s what Politifact wrote:

During a sharp exchange at their first debate, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner insisted that GOP challenger Ed Gillespie supports laws that would provide embryos with rights the moment of conception.

“He supports a personhood amendment that is so far out of the mainstream that it would ban certain common forms of contraception,” Warner, a Democrat, said during the July 26 debate. He cast Gillespie as sympathetic towards several other socially conservative policies.

Gillespie protested. “This is an area where you’re making up my views,” he said. “Please provide the documentation for my support of any of those things.”

Warner persisted, directly asking Gillespie if he ever supported a personhood amendment.

“No,” Gillespie said. “Provide documentation of that. When did I support a personhood amendment?”

Warner’s campaign followed up after the debate by declaring it was true so Politifact checked and discovered Gillespie was correct. They rated Warner’s accusation “False.”