Did Barack Obama pay Candy Crowley for lying in the debate?

Answer 1

No. While Republicans and commentators on Fox News believe this sincerely, there is no credible evidence to support it. Candy Crowley has had a very long and very non-partisan career. Obviously, Republican supporters of Mitt Romney objected to her correction of Mr. Romney during the debate, while Democratic supporters of the president were delighted. But just because partisans are upset (or pleased), you have to look at the totality of a person's career, rather than one incident. Candy Crowley has a good reputation as a reporter and is generally seen as someone who does her job.

Further, the debates are not supervised by CNN. Even if Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney wanted to bribe someone, their campaigns did not select the moderators, nor the venues, nor the networks that ran the debates. And political rhetoric aside, there is no credible evidence that Mr. Obama had any influence over her, nor any evidence that she "lied". Mr. Romney did in fact say several things that were demonstrably false (see for example his untrue claim that Mr. Obama goes around "apologizing for America," a political assertion rated "Pants On Fire" by Politifact and other fact-checking sites). Whether Crowley should have said anything to stop Mr. Romney during that particular question is a subject we can agree or disagree about, but it is unfair to call her a liar or to imply that she was bribed. There is no evidence of either.