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Looking back on our Sean Duffy fact checks

By Eric Litke
August 26, 2019

With U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy announcing he is leaving office in September, let’s take a look back at how the Wisconsin Republican has fared on the PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter over the years.

Duffy — a former Ashland County district attorney and cast member of MTV’s “The Real World” franchise — was elected to Congress in 2010.

Since then we’ve fact-checked him 22 times. Those yielded two ratings of Mostly True, eight of Half True, nine of False or Mostly False and three of Pants on Fire. Here’s a sampling:

Nov 3, 2017 — Says special counsel Robert Mueller “has brought in Democrat campaign donors at a very high level” on his team of lawyers (Half True)

Sept. 20, 2017 — Vermont had to “scrap” its single-payer health insurance program because it was “going bankrupt.” (False)

July 27, 2017 — Republicans have ” won a thousand seats since Obamacare.” (Mostly True)

Feb. 24, 2017 — “Abortion providers like Planned Parenthood do little other than provide abortions.” (Pants on Fire)

July 19, 2016 — “Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have left us with $19 trillion in debt.” (Mostly False)

March 24, 2013 — The United States spends “$2.2 billion on free cell phones, $27 million on Moroccan pottery classes” and pays for “the travel expenses for the watermelon queen in Alabama.” (Half True)

Our Sources

PolitiFact items as noted

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Eric Litke
Janet Bewley
stated on March 28, 2021 in TV interview:
Says Republican lawmakers delayed COVID-19 testing
Mostly False
Ron Johnson
stated on March 4, 2021 in in various forums:
On passing high-dollar legislation with no time to read it.
Full Flop
Mark Pocan
stated on February 12, 2021 in a tweet:
Ron Johnson didn’t “show up” for a day of impeachment hearings.
Pants on Fire!
Ron Johnson
stated on February 15, 2021 in a radio interview:
Says Jan. 6 Capitol riot “didn’t seem like an armed insurrection.”
Pants on Fire!

Looking back on our Sean Duffy fact checks







Roger Marshall
stated on October 16, 2026 in an interview with Sean Hannity:





Mike Collins
stated on October 13, 2026 in in a debate:




Mariannette Miller-Meeks
stated on October 2, 2026 in a Facebook post: