Cruz On Carson's 'Dirty Trick' Claim: I'm Not Gonna Scapegoat My Staff

TPM ^ | February 3, 2016 | CAITLIN MACNEAL

[GodGunsGuts]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wednesday said he would not discipline any campaign staffers for notifying Iowa caucusgoers that Ben Carson had plans to drop out of the race even though the retired neurosurgeon only had plans for a quick trip home to Florida.

Cruz said on "The Mike Gallagher Show" that members of his campaign were "passing on news reports."

"I don't make a practice of scapegoating staff members when it's politically convenient," Cruz added.

The Texas senator reiterated that he has apologized to Carson for his campaign's actions. In a Tuesday statement, Cruz said that while sharing news reports is "fair game," he was sorry his campaign did not send out an update clarifying that Carson would remain in the race. The Cruz campaign circulated a CNN story about Carson's plans to head to Florida following the Iowa caucus, and the campaign allegedly urged caucusgoers to vote for Cruz instead.

On Wednesday, Cruz told Gallagher that the media was reporting on Carson's claims and the Cruz campaign's actions in a "misleading way."

Shortly before Cruz's interview on "The Mike Gallagher Show," Donald Trump accused Cruz of "fraud" and called for "either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."

In response to Trump's accusations, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told CNN that Trump was merely trying to get attention.

"The reality hit the reality TV star in Iowa so nobody is talking about him now. So he's trying to regain some attention on Twitter," he said in a statement to CNN.

Tyler added that "there are Twitter addiction support groups, so he should seek out his local chapter."

[editor-surveyor]

.
>> “Only difference between the two is Obama has better hair.” <<

Harsh, but essentially true!

[firebrand]

Was CNN actually reporting that he dropped out of the race, or is the tweet shown in post# 4 the only one they posted on this subject?

Dropping out usually requires a formal announcement.

[firebrand]

Was CNN actually reporting that he dropped out of the race, or is the tweet shown in post# 4 the only one they posted on this subject?

Dropping out usually requires a formal announcement.

[annieokie]

he never had you in the first place.

[ilgipper]

Politics ain’t bean bag. Isn’t that the saying? Trump got nasty toward Cruz for the past couple weeks. It’s fair game. The voters decide what’s tolerable and what’s not. Clearly the voters were not as bothered by the ‘disgusting’ mailers as the media and Trump peeps pretended to be.

In centuries old, our presidential candidates called others a bastard child and other horrible charges. It’s a messy, ugly business.

[pookie18]

http://www.trevorloudon.com/2016/02/cnn-not-cruz-staff-responsible-for-ben-carson-campaign-suspension-rumor/

http://www.dailywire.com/news/3099/no-cruz-didnt-win-iowa-cheating-heres-why-trumps-ben-shapiro

[Lagmeister]

beginning of the end for Donald Trump,/i>

Newest Harper poll has Cruz tanking to 9% in NH. Looks like Cruz's pretend piety will not save him there.

[editor-surveyor]

.
Your trolling on this doesn’t become you.

Give it a rest.

[fireman15]

Just keep your eyes tightly closed, plug your ears and say “la la la la la la la” over and over again. Cruz has put together a team of experts that specialize in lying and manipulating. This is the tip of the iceberg. Even if Cruz continues to pose as a Christian and the most pure conservative, do we want someone who is willing to sell his soul to the devil to become president. I for one am getting a little tired of having a liar as Commander in Chief! Read Sarah Palin’s latest post on Facebook. She knows both Cruz and Trump very well. You need to have your nose rubbed in it.

From Sarah Palin on Facebook:

“Dirty Politics: Witnessing Firsthand It’s Always Heartbreaking, Never Surprising

Thank heavens Donald Trump opened so many eyes to the lies, corruption and total lack of accountability that come so naturally to the permanent political class. And Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on when he once noted that “millions of Americans are asking for accountability and truth.” Which is why it’s so curious - and saddens us - this lack of accountability with the lies of Cruz’s own campaign.

Cruz’s campaign chairman, U.S. Representative Steve King, is lying, and good for Dr. Ben Carson for calling this out. King, who’s previously asked for and received my endorsement, time and resources to support his own election, is still lying about my altruistic support of Mr. Trump, and he’s refused to provide any evidence to the contrary. And, this U.S. Congressman actually lied to his own constituents on behalf of Cruz, regarding a good man, Dr. Carson. He told voters Carson was dropping out of the Presidential race immediately before the Iowa caucus, causing a relative uproar inside the process, so the word would spread and he could rack up more votes for his candidate, Cruz. That’s a dirty trick. Dr. Carson deserved better. The voters deserved better!

Where is the accountability for these political actions? Very sad; typical Washington tactics. THIS is why “the status quo has got to go.”

Our friend Dr. Carson put it so well:

“As Christians, of course we accept people’s apologies, we also have to ask ourselves is this acceptable to us, the American people, or should there be some accountability? There should be some consequences for things. You don’t just say ‘oh, okay, sorry… okay let’s move on.’ The damage was done to me, it wasn’t done to them.”

We’ve had eight years of a reckless President, accountable to no one, pushing this country to the brink. Why would we ever take a risk repeating that? We are never going to turn this country around if we keep electing “more of the same.” Just like conservatives have been preaching in opposition to Obama’s political tactics for years: actions speak louder than words.

The Cruz Campaign’s actions to destroy a good man’s efforts to serve are no different than Obama’s practice of not holding anyone accountable. Typical politics. Typical politicians.
Here’s background:

Ben Carson: Cruz’s Apology Needs Accountability: http://www.foxbusiness.com/…/ben-carson-cruzs-apology-needs…;
Steve King Refuses to Answer CNN’s Jake Tapper If He Has Any Evidence Trump Bought Palin’s Support: http://www.cnn.com/…/…/02/02/lead-king-on-trump-and-cruz.cnn";

[palmer]

Unflappable

Not yet in evidence, but certainly Cruz has principles and is sticking with them.

Could this be Donald Trump's final twitter meltdown?

Probably not. Trump's role is to wipe away the political correctness of the media. He is doing that even with this mini meltdown (not his first or his last). If Trump wins with his style, so be it, I will enthusiaticially support him. Cruz is waiting in the wings and I will donate and vote for Cruz when it is my turn. But many ordinary folks around my area are going for Trump.

[Washi]

Yep. Nobody wants to talk about the fact that other campaigns came to the same conclusion about Carson as Cruz's staffers...and they too acted on the information in the exact same way.

In the media, that is because they want Rubio to be our nominee.

Here on FR, it's because the Trump supporters don't see Rubio as a threat to The Donald, yet. They'll brush aside the facts and act like it was only Cruz who ran with the CNN story. To them, Cruz is the current threat, so Cruz must be defeated at all costs.

[Harpotoo]

Cruz is sounding like obummer with that comment. Do all the dirty tricks you want (IRS, DOJ, ETC) and hold no one accountable!

[editor-surveyor]

.
The flaw in your stupidity is that Cruz is the only shot we have to beat Hillary.

She polls above the rest of the GOP field.

[palmer]

Taking Trump out is key.

Trump will take himself out if he wants to. But I listened carefully to the liar Rubio in Iowa and he was pushing 100% Trump themes. So all Rubio did really was lie and steal some of Trump's anger votes.

[firebrand]

Walk it back! His tried-and-true solution to almost everything. Haven’t people caught on yet?

He did a major op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Paul Ryan supporting Fast Track and TPP, which together could prove to be the most disastrous legislation of our time. Then walked it back. Too late.

But people are still swallowing everything whole.

[editor-surveyor]

.
If Cruz even made screw-ups you would now be under the venue of the World Court, and would not have the right to bear arms.

That is the facts.

[dead]

Oh, I think Rubio is just as guilty. Looks like him and Cruz working together to take out Trump.

This sort of post is why nobody takes the trumpinis seriously. Two serious rivals decided to work together to take out a third serious rival by somehow tricking a fourth rival into leaking some vague info to a national news outlet. Then they used that info to try to siphon off some minuscule amount of votes from a guy polling around six percent. And this was the great plan they concocted together?

There is no way you believe this scenario is more likely than the staff of each candidate acted independently on an erroneous news story.

The Donald lost because of a number of strategic mistakes on his own part, the largest being trying to sit on his lead and running away from the debate. He and his trumpesteroonis cannot accept that his unforced errors doomed him, so they make up bizarro conspiracy theories and pretend to believe them.

Now this line of attack is fast becoming the next in the ongoing series of unforced errors that will slash his lead in NH. The SEC primaries will finish him off for good, and then we'll get more excuses and imaginary conspiracies and rationalizations for why he will endorse Hillary or Bernie.

[moehoward]

“The flaw in your stupidity is that Cruz is the only shot we have to beat Hillary.”

“Flaw” in “stupidity”. You are clearly a real deep thinker. ROTLMAO!!

[editor-surveyor]

.
Trump’s ‘anger’ rested on Cruz’ cool, clear logic.
.

[fingers_crossed]

There is the debate coming up Saturday. If Trump doesn’t up his game, change his strategy, talk substantively on issues and knock off his personal attacks on the other candidates, it could be over for him after the debate. Hope he has someone in his staff who can get him to listen and be aware of how much his influence and popularity has changed.

Nobody admires a bully, who turns into a whiner when others start to fight back.