evidence: FACT CHECK: Did George Washington Say This Quote About ‘Christian Religion’? An image shared on Facebook claims that former President George Washington once said, "The gov’t of the US is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion. The United States of America should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy." [...] Katie Blizzard of the Washington Papers at the University of Virginia confirmed in an email to the Daily Caller that the second sentence of the alleged quote does not appear in Washington’s writings but was unable to provide "any definite information" on its origin.