I was encouraged by President Donald Trump’s recent address to Congress. Although I didn’t vote for him, he laid out objectives I could support. And then I discovered that many statements in his address were simply false. For example, Trump listed many companies that were investing in building jobs and plants in the U.S., and took credit. Turns out, according to several news sources, those initiatives were underway before he took office.

This past weekend he made an accusation that former President Barack Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump campaign offices in Trump Tower during the election – without one bit of evidence. Trump apparently thinks a lie will be taken as truth if he says it with conviction and repeats it enough.

He did this when he alleged extensive voter fraud during the election, citing the busing of voters from Massachusetts into New Hampshire. His allegation was refuted on both sides of the aisle.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, has several times refuted the president’s statements about voter fraud.

Trump wants to change the subject away from the mounting evidence that his campaign officials were in contact with Russian diplomats during the campaign. His staff produced a 14-year-old photograph of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a public event.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with the Russian ambassador in private, which he denied during his confirmation hearing. U.S. intelligence officials confirmed otherwise.

Our system of law, and indeed the foundation of civil society, relies on truth-telling. The Ten Commandments include “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

All citizens, especially people of faith, should be alarmed at the pattern of lying we are seeing at the highest levels of government.

Mark Matson

Worthington