I don't understand why they are lying about something as stupid as this, though. Obviously, they lie because they can. There are no consequences for governmen

I don't understand why they are lying about something as stupid as this, though. Obviously, they lie because they can. There are no consequences for government officials who lie, even under oath. As procedures have become more and more formal, the immunity of officials for lying has become more ironclad. The result is that they do it reflexively. They lie now just because it's a habit and nobody ever is called to account for it, except private citizens. If you're a private citizen, making a false statement to the feds is a felony. It doesn't even have to be a lie -- just a mistake or faded memory is automatically a felony.