EXCLUSIVE–Voicemails: ‘Ben Carson Suspending Campaigning’; Cruz: ‘Accurate Report’

Breitbart ^ | February 4,2016 | ALEX SWOYER

[Hojczyk]

New audio obtained exclusively by Breitbart News indicates that as the Iowa caucuses began on Monday night, the campaign called precinct captains informing them that Dr. Ben Carson was suspending campaigning, and instructing them to tell voters they should “not waste a vote on Ben Carson and vote for Ted Cruz.”

The calls were placed after the Carson campaign had already clarified that Carson was not suspending his campaign.

Nancy Bliesman, a precinct captain for Cruz in Crawford County, Iowa, told Breitbart News that she received two voice mails–one at 7:07 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), and one at 7:29 p.m.–on the night of the Iowa caucuses, which began at 7:00 p.m.

The first call came from a woman with a phone number out of Galveston, Texas at 7:07 p.m. (transcript follows audio):

[inaudible]…from the Ted Cruz campaign, calling to get to a precinct captain, and it has just been announced that Ben Carson is taking a leave of absence from the campaign trail, so it is very important that you tell any Ben Carson voters that for tonight, uh, that they not waste a vote on Ben Carson, and vote for Ted Cruz. He is taking a leave of absence from his campaign. All right? Thank you. Bye.

The second voicemail was left at 7:29 p.m. from an Iowa phone number that Breitbart News traced back to a Cruz campaign volunteer hotline.

Hello, this is the Cruz campaign with breaking news: Dr. Ben Carson will be [garbled] suspending campaigning following tonights caucuses. Please inform any Carson caucus goers of this news and urge them to caucus for Ted instead. Thank you. Good night.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Well, it’s beginning to look like Cruz has gone from being the best to simply being the least worst. IOW, I’m still voting for him.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Like I said, you have made your own evaluation about what level of manipulation you are willing to accept from the candidate who is “principled” and a “Christian.”

I made a different choice. The words led me to expect a higher level of integrity and action.

[DrewsMum]

I have one question that I’ve seen no one ask.

Where are the Republican party reps that were at each precinct? Can they not clear some of this up?

This is another reason I think this is SOME ado about nothing. I firmly believe that Priebus and/or the rep party officials in Iowa (both whom detest Cruz, KNOW way more than about what happened than has been released. I think if that hurt Cruz, they’d be all over the place with it. I suspect they have nothing, which is they are seemingly wanting to just move on.