That was my first thought as well. Puzzling, vexing, yes, but there is nothing "controversial" here. Moreover, I'm not sure if the expression "controversial fac

That was my first thought as well. Puzzling, vexing, yes, but there is nothing "controversial" here. Moreover, I'm not sure if the expression "controversial fact" even makes sense, linguistically speaking. Isn't it true that if something is a fact, it may be "disputed," but it can, by definition, not be "controversial?"