ABC News' Martha Raddatz pressed Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a close ally of Vice President Kamala Harris, on a false claim Harris made during a recent debate about the presence of active US military personnel in combat zones. Harris had stated that "there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world," which Raddatz's fact-checkers found to be untrue.
ABC News host Martha Raddatz has confronted Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a prominent supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, over a false claim made by Harris during a recent debate about the presence of active US military personnel in combat zones.
Raddatz grills Harris ally on false claim about US military presence
During the debate, Harris asserted that "there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century." However, ABC News' fact-checkers determined this claim to be inaccurate, noting that approximately 900 U.S. military personnel are currently deployed in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, both countries where they have faced ongoing threats from drones and missiles.
In an interview with Raddatz, Healey initially defended Harris's statement, arguing that she had demonstrated her fitness to be commander-in-chief by "supporting the military." However, Raddatz pressed Healey further, asking, "You say she demonstrated her ability to be commander in chief, but did she not know about these people in Syria and Iraq? Why would she say that?"
Raddatz grills Harris ally on false claim about US military presence
Healey then shifted her focus to criticizing Harris's opponent, former President Donald Trump, accusing him of disrespecting military members and aligning himself with Russia's Vladimir Putin. She maintained that Harris, in contrast, "respects our military, she respects our service members."
Raddatz also questioned Healey about Harris's stance on abortion restrictions, seeking clarification on whether she would support any limitations. Healey responded that Harris had already made her position clear, advocating a return to the Roe v. Wade legal framework that had previously protected abortion rights nationwide.
Raddatz grills Harris ally on false claim about US military presence
Notably, ABC News anchor Linsey Davis has acknowledged that her own approach to fact-checking during the debate was influenced by the disastrous performance of then-candidate Joe Biden in a previous debate moderated by CNN. Davis admitted that she felt pressure to prevent similar "statements from being allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed."
This incident has sparked a wider discussion about the role of debate moderators in holding candidates accountable for their claims and ensuring the accuracy of information conveyed to the public during political discourse.
