Moses’ falsified hearing transcripts failed to deceive officials who had followed the actual hearings

Evidence

“We think we had it,” Moses said. But Davison had made his point. After the hearing, Moses printed up “transcripts” of the hearing—with his own damaging admissions carefully omitted—and mailed them to state officials and legislators. But the officials and legislators had followed the hearings themselves. The state has “an obligation” to have money available to pay people before taking their property, said Attorney General Albert Ottinger, a Republican. Moses’ actions, said the state’s chief legal officer, were clearly “illegal.” The day following the hearing, Assembly Speaker Joseph A. McGinnies said that the Legislature would strip the power of appropriation from the commission. And he said that the Legislature would certainly not segregate any money at all—ever—for the purchase of the Taylor Estate. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 839

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Speakers widely reject evidence and double down on false claims publicly — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 107; Reform-minded legislators reversed their principles when the official was Moses — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1603; Robert Moses committed perjury when he denied receiving the Goldsmith memorandum — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 896

Broader Connections

• Speakers widely reject evidence and double down on false claims publicly #exemplifies (0.80) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 107
• Robert Moses committed perjury when he denied receiving the Goldsmith memorandum #contradicts (0.75) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 896
• Reform-minded legislators reversed their principles when the official was Moses #complicates (0.70) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 1603