Cavuto left unchallenged Mehlman's false claim that Rangel said Dems would raise taxes “across the board” if they retake House

Neil Cavuto did not challenge Ken Mehlman's false claim that Rep. Charlie Rangel has said that “you would get across-the-board tax increases” if Democrats regain control of the House. In fact, during an interview with Cavuto less than two weeks earlier, Rangel stated: “The president has -- had allowed these things to expire in 2010 ... and I would not advocate or support a retroactive increase in taxes.”


On the October 6 edition of Fox News' Your World, host Neil Cavuto did not challenge Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman's false claim that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), “who would be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee” if “the Democrats were in control,” has said that “you would get across-the-board tax increases” if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. In fact, Rangel stated during a September 26 interview with Cavuto that a Democratic-controlled House “would not raise taxes” and “would not roll back” President Bush's tax cuts enacted by Congress that are set to expire in 2010, a point Cavuto failed to mention in his interview with Mehlman. During his September 26 appearance on Your World, Rangel added: “The president has -- had allowed these things to expire in 2010 ... and I would not advocate or support a retroactive increase in taxes.”

From the October 6 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:

CAVUTO: You know what is interesting, though, Ken? I mean, human nature being what it is, what is different about the Republican response to this from prior crises is that some of you appeared to be divided.

You know, I'm talking about Congressman Boehner, who kind of distanced himself from the speaker, and others who have done pretty much the same, as if they're trying to say, it's all this guy's fault. That is very at least un-Republican from prior crises. And the image --

MEHLMAN: Well --

CAVUTO: -- it gives to people, again, fairly or not, is that you guys are fracturing. Are you?

MEHLMAN: I don't think Republicans are fractured. I think on the issues Americans care the most about, Republicans are united. You saw last week Republicans acting to make sure that we protect America against the terrorist threat, acting to make sure we have an interrogation program, to make sure we have surveillance of the enemy.

What happened with most Democrats? They were mostly against those programs, that are critical tools to win the war on terror. We also saw last week the man that, if the Democrats were in control, would be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee saying you would get across-the-board tax increases, and also saying that we -- they would even consider, potentially, cutting off funding for the troops in Iraq.

From the September 26 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:

CAVUTO: All right. So, let me -- let me just ask this, Congressman. I just want to be clear on a couple of things.

RANGEL: Sure.

CAVUTO: Would any of the taxes that the president cut -- just income taxes -- be raised or be looked at being raised under Democrats, even in -- on the upper income, the 35 percent rate, maybe bring it back to 39.5 percent?

RANGEL: We don't bring anything back. We would not raise taxes. We would not roll back.

The president has -- had allowed these things to expire in 2010. I think -- and I would not advocate or support a retroactive increase in taxes.