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Lamar Smith

Lamar Smith

Lamar Smith is a Republican congressman from a San Antonio-based district in Texas. He became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in January 2011.

Lamar Smith Website

Scorecard

true
0% 4 Checks
mostly true
0% 3 Checks
half true
0% 2 Checks
mostly false
0% 2 Checks
false
0% 5 Checks
Pants on Fire
0% 0 Checks
For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact

Latest Fact-Checks By Lamar Smith

Clear
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on September 18, 2017 a letter to a constituent
"The average tax bill for Americans in 2016 was a 41 percent increase from 2013."
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • September 29, 2017
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on November 9, 2016 a web post and email blast
"I was the first member of Congress to contribute to Donald Trump."
True
By W. Gardner Selby • November 11, 2016
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on July 19, 2016 remarks to the Texas delegation to the Republican National Convention
"One third of all federal prisoners today are illegal immigrants."
Mostly False
By W. Gardner Selby • August 25, 2016
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on December 6, 2015 Op-ed column in the San Antonio Express-News
"The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has estimated that the Obama administration’s Power Plan will cause energy costs in Texas to rise as much as 16 percent per year."
False
By Filipa Ioannou • December 17, 2015
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on May 31, 2014 a letter to the editor of the San Antonio Express-News
"Last year," Obama "administration officials released into our neighborhoods more than 36,000 criminal immigrants who had nearly 88,000 convictions. The crimes included hundreds of convictions for murder, rape and kidnapping and thousands of drug-related crimes."
Half-True
By W. Gardner Selby • June 10, 2014
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on March 26, 2014 a committee hearing
The National Science Foundation awarded $700,000 to fund a climate change musical.
True
By W. Gardner Selby • April 2, 2014
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on September 21, 2013 a flier mailed to constituents
"In 2010, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office found that only 6.5 percent of the U.S.-Mexico border was under full control of the Border Patrol."
Mostly True
By Sue Owen • October 1, 2013
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on August 1, 2012 a speech to the Austin-Oak Hill Rotary Club
Says the top 20 percent of income earners pay nearly 70 percent of all federal taxes.
True
By Sue Owen • August 27, 2012
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on January 20, 2012 an opinion column.
"Illegal counterfeiting and piracy costs the U.S. economy $100 billion... every year."
False
By W. Gardner Selby • February 6, 2012
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on July 12, 2011 a legislative proposal.
On applying prosecutorial discretion to immigration cases.
Full Flop
By W. Gardner Selby • August 7, 2011
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on January 5, 2011 a radio interview
"Despite the administration telling us (health care reform) was going to reduce health care costs, they now acknowledge it's going to dramatically increase health care costs."
False
January 23, 2011
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on December 15, 2010 a news release
"In the last five years, 28,000 people have been killed along the U.S.-Mexico border."
False
By Meghan Ashford-Grooms • December 31, 2010
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on November 30, 2010 an op-ed
Once people become citizens under the DREAM Act "and turn 21, they can sponsor their illegal immigrant parents for legalization."
Mostly True
December 20, 2010
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on July 1, 2010 a floor speech
"We could cut unemployment in half simply by reclaiming the jobs taken by illegal workers."
False
August 15, 2010
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on May 20, 2010 an interview with the Fox News Network
Mexican government officials "hand out brochures showing individuals how they can avoid our Border Patrol, how they can get into our country."
Mostly False
By Meghan Ashford-Grooms • May 30, 2010
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on December 15, 2009 in a press release
"Illegal immigrants currently occupy 8 million jobs."
Mostly True
By Meghan Ashford-Grooms • January 12, 2010
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
stated on June 24, 2009 an interview on Fox News
During a town hall meeting on health care, "ABC didn't even allow ads that opposed the president's health care plan to be aired."
True
By Angie Drobnic Holan • June 30, 2009
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Latest Fact-Checks About Lamar Smith

Matt McCall
Matt McCall
stated on February 11, 2016 Press release
"During three and a half years of campaigning," Lamar Smith "has never once appeared at a moderated debate to defend his positions on the issues."  
True
By Filipa Ioannou • March 28, 2016
Texas Liberty PAC
Texas Liberty PAC
stated on February 22, 2014 a sign spotted outside a polling place in Austin
Says Lamar Smith "sponsored the bill that funded Obamacare."
False
By W. Gardner Selby • February 27, 2014
Lainey Melnick
Lainey Melnick
stated on April 23, 2010 an e-mail blast
Says U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith supported the $700 billion Wall Street bailout in 2008, "but now he is standing in the way of reforms that would assure these bailouts would never happen again."
Mostly False
By W. Gardner Selby • May 19, 2010
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