Campaign Watchdog: Claim on Barr's police record 'true'

The statement: "Barr lied twice on state job applications, failing to disclose an arrest and guilty plea for false identification."

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, attacking his Republican challenger, Andy Barr, in a commercial now running on Lexington television stations.

The ruling: True.

The facts: In 1993, as a 19-year-old college student vacationing in Key West, Fla., Barr was charged by police with possession of a fake Mississippi driver's license. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to do eight hours of community service, according to court records.

A decade later, when Barr applied for state jobs under Gov. Ernie Fletcher, he checked "No" on the sections asking whether he had "ever been convicted of violating any law" other than "minor traffic violations."

Barr said earlier this year that he thought his Florida conviction was "minor" and therefore did not merit disclosure on the applications.

John Cheves, jcheves@herald-leader.com

This story was originally published October 5, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Campaign Watchdog: Claim on Barr's police record 'true'."