Three weeks ago today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst took the stage at the Republican National Convention to make the case for Donald Trump and bash Hillary Clinton, particularly on issues related to foreign policy and the military. For those who missed the speech, I’ve embedded the video at the end of this post. The full text is available here.

Other controversies of the day overshadowed the substance of Ernst’s remarks, delivered late in the evening to an “almost empty” hall. Most of the senator’s statements about Clinton and Trump were matters of opinion. However, Erin Jordan of the Cedar Rapids Gazette zeroed in on one verifiable claim: “According to the FBI, ISIS is present in all 50 states. Think about it for a moment — terrorists from ISIS are in every one of our 50 states.”

After researching federal data on terrorism and the material Ernst’s office provided in support of her assertions, Jordan gave Ernst an “F.” But Ernst refuses to acknowledge that she distorted and exaggerated what FBI investigators have found.

Jordan’s fact-check appeared in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on July 30 and on KCRG’s website the following day. Key points:

· A source in the FBI press office said FBI Director James Comey’s comment last year about “homegrown violent extremist investigations” referred generally to terrorism cases, not specifically to those involving ISIS.

· Several experts on terrorism emphasized the distinction between an investigation and proof that ISIS is active:

David Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University, said most investigations don’t lead to arrests.

“It is also a big stretch to say that investigations in 50 states of individuals who are attracted to the ISIS ideology or may be considering traveling to become a foreign fighter means that ‘ISIS is present’ in these states,” Schanzer said. “In that sense, ISIS is ‘present’ everywhere in the world that it has social media followers.”

That someone watches an ISIS video or looks at a website doesn’t make him or her a terrorist, said Neil Shortland, program manager for the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

· A “June report from the Program on Extremism at George Washington University shows there had been ISIS-related arrests in 25 states.”

· A report from late last year indicated “that white supremacists and antigovernment types killed more people in U.S. attacks since 9/11 than radical Muslims.”

I sought comment from Ernst on Jordan’s findings. Speaking on behalf of the senator, communications director Brook Hougesen responded by e-mail last week,

In support of Sen. Ernst’s claim, “According to the FBI, ISIS is present in all 50 states. Terrorists from ISIS are in every one of our 50 states” here are two quotes from FBI Director Comey:

· On February 25, 2015, while addressing the National Association of Attorney Generals meeting, FBI Director James Comey said the FBI is investigating ISIS in all 50 states:
· “ISIL in particular is putting out a siren song through their slick propaganda, through social media, that goes like this: ‘Troubled soul, come to the caliphate, right? You will live a life of glory. These are the apocalyptic end times. You will find a life of meaning here, fighting for our so-called caliphate. And if you can’t come, kill somebody where you are.’ That is a message that goes out to troubled souls everywhere, resonates with troubled souls, people seeking meaning in some horribly misguided way. Those people exist in every state. I have homegrown violent extremist investigations in every single state. Until a few weeks ago, where there was 49 states – Alaska had none- but Alaska is now joined the group. So we have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states.”
· On October 8, 2015, in a statement before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, FBI Director Comey said:
o “Social media has allowed groups, such as ISIL, to use the Internet to spot and assess potential recruits. With the widespread horizontal distribution of social media, terrorists can identify vulnerable individuals of all ages in the United States—spot, assess, recruit, and radicalize—either to travel or to conduct a homeland attack. The foreign terrorist now has direct access into the United States like never before. In other examples of arrests, a group of individuals was contacted by a known ISIL supporter who had already successfully traveled to Syria and encouraged them to do the same. Some of these conversations occur in publicly accessed social networking sites, but others take place via private messaging platforms.”

Due to the ongoing FBI investigations of ISIS individuals in all 50 states and ISIS’s utilization of social media, messaging platforms, and radical propaganda over the internet to recruit and speak directly to Americans, or who Director Comey refers to as “troubled souls,” ISIS has a presence in all 50 states.

Those are the same citations Ernst’s office provided to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Jordan already pointed out,

From the information Comey gave in his comments, it’s not possible to know for sure specifically whether there are ISIS-related investigations in every state.

Moreover, Ernst said without equivocation that there are “terrorists’ in each state. Comey did not go so far — he instead referred to “investigations.”

There have been ISIS-related arrests in 25 states, which means those investigations had enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

Ernst’s exaggerations may seem mild compared to the avalanche of lies coming from Trump over the past year, almost none of which have been corrected by the Republican’s campaign. Nevertheless, a senator trying to build a reputation for expertise on military and security matters should be more careful in speaking about terrorist threats on American soil.

P.S.- Iowa’s own Sam Clovis, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, provided some unintentional comedy last week when correcting false statements Trump’s press secretary made about U.S. casualties in war since 2004:

Clovis said he doesn’t know where [Katrina] Pierson got her information, but said “facts are important.”

“I think we’re fixing it,” he said. “I guarantee it that won’t happen again with her, that’s for sure. And it won’t likely happen with anybody else, because when you do go out, you have a responsibility.”

He added: “I think it is important to come on here and have accurate information, and present our case in the best possible way we can. And to be as firm and assertive as we can be. And I think facts always help you, the truth always helps you, and I think that’s always where we ought to be.”

Nice touch, guaranteeing “it won’t happen again with her” (press secretary Pierson, that is). We all know Trump will continue to spread falsehood at every rally and media availability. The Washington Post’s fact-checker Glenn Kessler recently described the GOP nominee as “just off the charts. There’s never been anyone like him, at least in the six years I have been doing this.”

Joni Ernst’s July 18 speech to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland: