Ananias Club

The Ananias Club, supposedly named for Ananias who fell dead when he lied to the apostle Peter about a financial transaction, was a euphemism employed by the press in 1906–07 to avoid the "short and ugly word" (liar) in connection with the "mutual accusations of inveracity" which arose between President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina over the railroad rate bill. The phrase was adopted to describe any accusation of dishonesty made by President Roosevelt.[1] Members of the unofficial "club" included the so-called "nature fakers", Congressman Butler Ames,[2] and banker Wharton Barker.[3]

Franklin D. Roosevelt used the expression "Ananias Club" in his first press conference as President of the United States in reference to his policy on the use of background material provided by the White House:

Then there are two other matters we will talk about: The first is "background information", which means material which can be used by all of you on your own authority and responsibility, not to be attributed to the White House, because I do not want to have to revive the Ananias Club.