During the third and final presidential debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump accused his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of paying people to incite violence at his rallies.
However, the videos Trump referenced (which focus on Scott Foval, who is identified as the national field director at Americans United for Change, a liberal organization) are edited in ways that the context of the conversation or the meaning of the statement isn’t always clear, nor do you know when they took place.
Additionally, Project Veritas’ undercover operatives are often goading their subjects with leading statements. It has the effect of making the viewer infer that the people said something that he or she didn’t literally say.
Tellingly, the Trump campaign provided no evidence of payment from Clinton or Obama—a charge that the video itself does not substantiate.
Trump’s claim that the Chicago “riot” reached a point that “people could’ve been killed” would seem to hold even less water. And when things did escalate during the March protest, Trump supporters played their part, as well.
It should be noted, too, that for as problematic as Foval’s statements were, he also says in the tape that he did not coach people to stage confrontations inside the events.
"They’re not starting confrontations in the rally because once they’re inside the rally, they’re under Secret Service’s control," Foval said.
Nor did he say on tape that he told people to "be violent" and "start fist-fights," as Trump alleged. Instead, Foval’s stated goal was to bait Trump supporters into violent acts simply by wearing certain t-shirts or saying anti-Trump remarks.
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