Posted on 01/28/2016 2:26:49 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said on Thursday that his candidate would be "happy" to debate Ted Cruz once the Texas senator gets a federal judge to rule him eligible to run for president.
"Once you've gotten that ruling from the federal judge and you're the last man standing in this presidential contest next to Donald Trump, we'll be happy to have a debate with you one-on-one, anywhere you want, because that's the way the system works," Lewandowski said. "But, as it stands right now, we don't even know if Ted Cruz is legally eligible to run for president of the United States."
Trump and his supporters have argued that Cruz, who was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen, is not natural born and therefore ineligible to run for president under the Constitution.
Cruz challenged Trump to debate him one-on-one after Trump announced that he would not be attending the Fox News Republican presidential debate Thursday night because of objections to the presence of anchor Megyn Kelly and a statement Fox issued in response to his complaints. "What this is, is a publicity stunt by Senator Cruz who is continuing to fall in the polls in the state of Iowa," Lewandowski told Boston radio host Jeff Kuhner, before unleashing a slew of attacks at Cruz, arguing that he had used "dark money donors" through his super PAC to offer a donation to charity if Trump agreed to the debate.
"If Ted Cruz were able to disclose the loans that he's taken out from Goldman Sachs and Citi, then maybe he would use his own money for this, but instead he's using super PAC money which I don't even know if he can do legally," Lewandowski said, referring to loans Cruz took out during his 2012 run for Senate that he did not disclose in campaign filings. "And the bottom line is, you know what we've said to Ted Cruz, go into court, seek a declaratory judgment to find out if you're even legally eligible to run for president of the United States." In the interview, Lewandowski addressed his remark that Megyn Kelly had a "rough couple of days after that last debate" and "would hate to have her go through that again," which some at Fox News interpreted as a threat.
"That's not a threat. It's a factual statement," Lewandowski said. "And the bottom line, was, she did have a rough couple days after the debate because what she did during that first presidential debate was she made sure the debate was about her and not about the candidates who were actually on the stage."
Toward the end of the interview, Lewandowski took another shot at Cruz, this time over Cruz's criticism of Trump's support for eminent domain. Lewandowski said that eminent domain would be required to build the Keystone Pipeline, which Cruz supports. "The Keystone Pipeline, as you know, starts where Ted Cruz was born, in the country of Canada, and runs right down to where he lives now, in the state of Texas, and eminent domain is an issue that you know what unfortunately, sometimes you need to use it to get projects like that done," Lewandowski said.
I know. I guess declining with grace was too much to ask.
Trump fears a trap. In a debate. Where tough questions get asked. Where embarrassing questions get asked.
And you want me to believe that the clever Mr. Trump just can’t deal with those toughies.
That’s nonsense. A Fox Trap. Double nonsense.
Trump believes that his chance of winning in Iowa is better if he skips the debate. And he may well be correct in that assessment. But it is Cruz and Rubio who he fears not Fox and Kelly.
Half of Iowa will be watching. They won’t get to see Mr. Wonderful. They won’t miss much.
A risky political calculation by Trump and his advisors. I would like to wish them luck but somehow I can’t.
Fox Trap. What a joke. Get serious. Stop making excuses for Trump. He chickened out all on his own.
Trump was born to two American citizens on US soil....case dismissed.
Fact of the matter is, you cannot argue with Trump's NBC status, yet Cruz's leaves doubt.
The Founders were brilliant, never doubt them.
Don’t forget Trump spent a year trying to prove Obama not eligible. He has talked to a lot of good lawyers about this and knows what he is talking about.
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Yeah. About that.
Trump, like Sheriff Joe had all the hot diggity dirt on Obama and his eligibility lies.
And here we are - years later - and still waiting breathlessly for Trump to reveal what he knows.
If this is really an important thing then Trump has been 'saying' sort of, but doing nothing! The courts don't want every supporter of different candidates swamping them with suits so very few are allowed there. Cruz can't sue himself, but, with Trump #1 and Cruz #2 in the polls, Trump has the best legal standing of anyone to challenge Cruz in court. Trump could do so out of pocket change. Why hasn't he?! Throw it back in Donald's face, Ted!
You do realize I assume that the two parent rule would make Trump ineligible as well as Cruz.
Call me stupid, but I think the debate has a better chance of producing a train wreck than the rally for veterans. Trump is doing amazing things on short notice. And yes, Santorum and Huckabee are taking a risk by doing the right thing, bless them for that.
At least he’s not a second-rate Canadian jackass.
Cruz did not even renounce his Canadian citizenship until after he was already making trips to Iowa and the Dallas Morning News pointed out that he was a Canadian citizen. Cruz said he did not think he was a Canadian citizen because he left Canada at age 4 and he never pursued it. If the guy is as brilliant a lawyer as people say he is that seems to me like a pretty big oversight based on a false assumption. He should probably have checked that out years before he did.
Where in the Constitution did Trump find the power of the Judicial branch to determine the constitutional fitness of any particular citizen seeking Executive office?
Cuba had (probably still has) a law like the one in the US. Born abroad of one citizen parent results in citizenship in Cuba, at birth.
Would you waste your time giving a presentation to a client who you know cannot afford or need your product?
dodge
If not the judicial branch, then who makes the final decision on eligibility when a question like this comes up?
Chicken out or not, the move may benefit him in the caucuses and primaries.
Ok, Riddle me this? Ted has it in his power to take it to a judge and put this to rest. Why doesn’t he? It’s really that simple. This has always been a question in the last eight years. Let’s put it to rest.
Who's winning what? Nobody's voted for anything yet.
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