Want to see a Senator in search of his spine? Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz appearance on Fox last night certainly qualifies. Cruz made the horrendous mistake of saying the truth out loud. Cruz called the rioters and insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol “terrorists.” In Fox-world, that’s a no-no. The right-wing cable channel prefers to call those who tried to overturn a free and fair election “patriots.”
So here was Cruz, called on the Tucker Carlson carpet trying to beg for forgiveness from a journal…er leader of the GOP. And that’s exactly what he did in what counts as one of the more embarrassing television appearances ever by a sitting United States Senator.
The Washington Post picks up the exchange between Cruz and Carlson:
Carlson began the interview by positing that Cruz had “lied” about the events being a terrorist attack. And Cruz instantly signaled contrition.
“The way I phrased things yesterday — it was sloppy, and it was, frankly, dumb,” Cruz began.
Carlson cut him off, though. He said he didn’t believe Cruz and that Cruz — a highly trained lawyer — couldn’t possibly have been so sloppy with his choice of words.
“I don’t buy that,” Carlson said. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don’t buy that.”
Washington Post
Watch CNN’s take on the interview here:
And, in fact it was far from the first time Cruz had used the word terrorist to describe the insurrectionists.
The Washington Post provides perspective:
The interview had it all. Here was the runner-up for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination appearing on the airwaves of a Jan. 6 conspiracy theorist, who instantly made clear who had the real power in their relationship. (Cruz even acknowledged that he sought out the interview shortly after seeing what Carlson had said Wednesday night.) Rather than truly defending himself, Cruz meekly tried to explain away his repeated comments, and that same host wasn’t having it. The host literally began the interview by calling Cruz a liar — repeatedly — and Cruz didn’t even directly dispute the premise.
The Washington Post