At Saturday's debate in South Carolina, the six GOP candidates vigorously attacked one another. Here are facts they got right and not so right:
Sen. Ted Cruz: Donald Trump "supports taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood."
The facts: Depends on when he was asked: In one of the testiest exchanges in a debate full of them, Cruz accused Trump of not wanting to defund Planned Parenthood, as Cruz has wanted to do.
In an interview with CNN last summer, Trump equivocated, saying he would need to take a closer look at the services provided by Planned Parenthood before eliminating funding. He said he was sure the organization does "some things properly and good and that are good for women."
In an interview on Fox News in September, Trump sounded a more definitive note: "I would be totally opposed to funding."
Trump: Social Security has thousands of nonexistent centenarians on the rolls. Trump railed against government waste and fraud, noting that "thousands and thousands" of people are receiving benefits at age 106 or older, and that they do not exist.
The facts: Trump is essentially correct, based on inspector general audits of the Social Security Administration, even if "thousands and thousands" might be an exaggeration. A 2013 audit said the administration paid 1,546 deceased beneficiaries about $31 million. A later audit showed more payments to the deceased. A separate audit, in 2015, found there were about 6.5 million Social Security number holders 112 or older for which the agency did not have death information, but it did not say they were all receiving benefits.
Sen. Marco Rubio: "It's been over 80 years since a lame-duck president has appointed a Supreme Court justice."
The facts: Depends on what "lame duck" means: In February 1988, in what was President Ronald Reagan's final year in office, a Democratic-controlled Senate confirmed Reagan's nomination of Anthony Kennedy.
But Kennedy had been nominated in November 1987, before Reagan's final year. His two previous selections had failed: Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate, and Douglas Ginsburg withdrew after admitting that he had smoked marijuana.
Cruz: Trump has contributed to Hillary Clinton and other Democrats.
The facts: He spreads money around. Cruz, in attacking Trump's conservative credentials, noted that he had contributed to Democrats like John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid. Cruz's point was that Trump's past support of Democrats would carry out to his Supreme Court nominations as president.
At least on the contributions, Cruz was correct. Campaign finance filings show that Trump has donated to the campaigns of all four. It is fair to note that Trump has supported Republicans, too.
New York Times
