Cuteypie Pat Robertson, host of The 700 Club and respected conspiracy theorist, is no longer just a religious zealot, but a liar. In his latest campaign to convince conservative Christians that LGBTs will be the death of America, he pushes forth this blatant lie: There are no federal hate crime protections for religious beliefs.

Says Robertson: “You know, there’s a law – what about a law that says it’s a federal crime to attack somebody because of his religious beliefs? Not a chance!”

Except, as Crooks & Liars points out, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act includes that very category: “OFFENSES INVOLVING ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, OR DISABILITY.”

This would be harmful, were it not so ludicrous. Sadly, Robertson reaches untold numbers of Americans, who might be too lazy to use The Google.

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