Texas congressman says listening to Trump 'might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth'

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) waxes poetic about Donald Trump — (Image credit: CSPAN)

On Monday evening, with President Trump under fire for publicly pushing "alternative facts" about the size of his inaugural crowd and who wrote his inaugural address and the uniqueness of his Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) praised Trump on the House floor, under the guise of pretending how the "national liberal media" would laud Trump if he were a Democrat. Reporters would celebrate Trump's "stamina," call him "courageous and fearless," and underline how "he's obviously not deterred by media criticism," Smith said. Alas, no.

"No, the national liberal media won't print that or air it or post it," Smith said, breaking character. "Better to get your news directly from the president. In fact, it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth."

Smith, whose district includes slivers of Austin and San Antonio, is chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and also, Talking Points Memo notes, the Media Fairness Caucus. You can read the caucus' latest newsletter, featuring headlines like "Breitbart News Surpasses 3 Million Likes" and "Media Shouldn't Decide What's Fake." Obviously, the arbiter of fake news should be the president.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.