the original quote was ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.’
i got it last from an engineering text on Baysian probablity and statistics by D. S. Sivia, i’m re-reading.
according to him, Twain used it when ‘he reiterated Disraeli’s famous remarks.’
hopefully Sivia got it all right. of course, i’ve heard heard he quote many times from many different sources.
In the digital and Fake News world we've evolved into, Twain's remarks appear even more prescient than they were more than 100 years agp.
Today, wrapping lies in a statistical robe is the way "journalism" and statecraft are done.