Veteran diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler writes "The Fact Checker" column for The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com. Almost on a daily basis, he probes and examines the statements of political figures and diplomats, trying to discern the truth behind the rhetoric. If the statement falls short, Kessler explains why and awards as many as four "Pinocchios" to the offending party.

    Kessler is the author of  “The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy,” which was published in 2007 by St. Martins Press. The book, which revealed new details on the making of Bush administration’s foreign policy, was hailed as  “brilliantly reported” by the New York Times Book Review and generated news articles and reviews in at least two dozen countries around the world.

    Kessler was The Post's chief State Department reporter for nine years, traveling frequently with the Secretary of State and reporting from dozens of countries.  He also held a dual role as a senior national security editor, overseeing the work of other diplomatic, military and intelligence correspondents.

    During a journalism career stretching nearly three decades, Kessler has been  White House correspondent, national political correspondent, congressional correspondent, chief economic correspondent, airline safety writer and Wall Street correspondent. He also was a senior editor on The Post’s financial desk, overseeing the reporting of a dozen reporters based in Washington and New York, and the top editor of a major financial magazine.

    Kessler has won numerous journalism awards, including two shared Pulitzer Prizes. His investigative articles on airline safety led to the indictments of airline executives and federal officials for fraud, prompted congressional hearings into safety issues and led the federal government to impose new safety rules for DC-9 jets and begin regular inspections of foreign airlines.

    Kessler has lectured at Harvard University, Brown University, Stanford University, University of Texas-Austin, Occidental College University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has spoken before the Council on Foreign Relations, the Brookings Institition, the Aspen Institute, the New America Foundation and World Affairs Councils around the country. He appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, C-Span and international news networks.

    Kessler is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received a Master’s degree from Columbia University"s School of International and Public Affairs in 1983 and a Bachelor’s degree in European history from Brown University in 1981.  He is a resident of  McLean, Va.