Everyone fibs—by pretending to remember someone’s name, or to get out of a dinner invitation—but those untruths are rooted in a desire to spare another’s feelings or avoid an awkward moment. They’re white lies. Generally harmless. Here in DC, lies are as ubiquitous as pollen in the spring air. They’re spread to undermine someone in power, or to elevate one’s own prospects. Sometimes the lies are debunked. Other times they’re so ingrained in the public consciousness they might as well be truth.
