Posted on 02/04/2016 10:47:52 AM PST by SoConPubbie
Senator Ted Cruz on Thursday battled with ABC’s Tom Llamas after the Good Morning America reporter accused the Republican of using “dirty tricks” against Ben Carson in Iowa. Regarding a press release and a tweet sent out by the Cruz campaign on caucus night, Llamas demanded, “Will you fire or suspend anyone at your campaign for putting out misinformation?...Is it a dirty trick to confuse voters?”
Llamas has a history of going after the 2016 GOP field. On August 20, 2015, he screamed at Donald Trump, lecturing him that “anchor baby” is an “offensive term.” On January 6, 2016, the journalist scolded Cruz, wondering “how can you be a president” if you “hate Democrats” and the “culture of Washington.”
See transcript below:
GMA
2/4/16
7:04am ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We’re going to move on to the race for president now, Your voice, your vote. And just two days before our big GOP debate, brand-new poll out moments ago shows Donald Trump holding on to a 20-point lead in New Hampshire over Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz as two more candidates drop out of the race and Trump accuses Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucuses. So there's a whole lot happening. ABC's Tom Llamas tracking all the latest from Manchester. Good morning, Tom.
TOM LLAMAS: George, good morning to you. So many developments on the GOP side, Senator Rand Paul dropping out. Santorum dropping out, endorsing Senator Marco Rubio and as you just said, Donald Trump now accusing Senator Ted Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucuses while also learning there are some dangers to campaigning.
PILOT: We have an inbound emergency. Runway is going to be shut down.
LLAMAS: Overnight, a scare in the air for Donald Trump. Trump Force One forced to make an emergency landing in Nashville because of a mechanical problem.
PILOT: Runway 20 right cleared to land.
LLAMAS: Trump eventually hitting his campaign stop in Little Rock eventually.
TRUMP: Suddenly, my guys said, “Oh, that's okay, we can go back to New York, Mr. Trump. We can come another day.” I said, “There's no way. I love Arkansas.”
LLAMAS: There's also no stopping Trump's new attack, claiming Senator Ted Cruz cheated his way to victory in Iowa.
TRUMP: What he did to Ben Carson was a disgrace that he had quit the race. Everyone knew he didn't quit the race.
LLAMAS: Trump, referring to this Cruz campaign e-mail sent on caucus day. They cite a press report saying Dr. Carson is taking time off after Iowa. It goes on to say, “Please inform any Carson caucus goers of this news and urge them to caucus for Ted Cruz.”
TRUMP: It's not a mistake. He did it on purpose.
LLAMAS: Carson says it hurt his chances in Iowa and he's calling for accountability.
BEN CARSON: At least those people who are responsible should come out publicly and admit what they did.
LLAMAS: Cruz apologized to Carson but is standing by his campaign's actions. Will you fire or suspend anyone at your campaign for putting out misinformation?
TED CRUZ: No. We're not going to scapegoat anybody and I would note that the news story that our team passed on was true and accurate. CNN reported it.
LLAMAS: But is it a dirty trick to confuse voters?
CRUZ: Is it a dirty trick to pass on your news stories? You're in the business. Would you think it was if I forwarding an ABC story or just a dirty trick to pass on CNN stories?
LLAMAS: Cruz lashing out at Trump, saying the billionaire is stirring the pot because he lost in Iowa.
CRUZ: Well, listen, it is no surprise that Donald is throwing yet another temper tantrum, or if you like, yet another Trumper tantrum.
LLAMAS: As Cruz and Trump spar, Governor Chris Christie is keeping the pressure on Senator Marco Rubio. Christie warning of the dangers of electing another first term senator.
CHRIS CHRISTIE: Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
LLAMAS: Now, Governor Christie part of that pool of governors that right now is sort of at the bottom of the polls along with Jeb Bush and Governor John Kasich, all campaigning very hard in New Hampshire hoping for a ticket to South Carolina. George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Tom, thanks very much.
After noting that the story that Carson would be taking some time off came from CNN, Cruz challenged Llamas: “Is it a dirty trick to pass on your news stories? You're in the business. Would you think it was if I forwarding an ABC story or just a dirty trick to pass on CNN stories?”
Rubio’s campaign was using the CNN information too, just like Cruz’s did.
The Carson campaign is clutching at straws.
I have yet to have anyone post anything from Ted or from the campaign itself that said Carson was dropping out. The closest thing I have seen was the tweet from Steve King, which said it LOOKED like Carson was out. But all the Trumpkins keep posting that TED SAID BEN WAS OUT, as if repeating the lie over and over again will make it true. Sounds like they are taking after Goebbels.
Already saw that and saw it was the fox calling his traipsing around the henhouse as an innocent stroll in the neighborhood. It would be laughable if it wasn’t serious.
Trumpsters will always believe what they want to believe rather then the facts....just like their leader Trump.....it can’t be helped....when one is caught up in deception it’s not going to let go easily.
Even CNN ignored the tweet that said Carson was not dropping out. There were other tweets from other CNN accounts about Carson leaving the campaign trail AFTER Moody sent the tweet saying Carson was continuing after Iowa. They also had Dana Bash and Jake Tapper on air discussing the issue after that tweet, and neither one of them mentioned it! But you expect the Cruz campaign to be the only ones that caught the tweet that everyone else missed or ignored???
Please provide any evidence that the Cruz campaign said Carson was "dropping out".
I have yet to see evidence, that the Cruz campaign knew anything of the sort before the messages were sent.... I would very much be interested to see such evidence.... as I think most Cruz supporters would be. Stating that 4 voters per precinct would have had to vote other than Carson is ridiculous, because yes Trump would have won but Carson would have still languished in fourth place. Plus all indications are that Carson did better than expected, so it must not have hurt him that badly.
Not sure I get all the fuss. Trump had a “yuge” lead going in to Monday. He was going to schlong Cruz, Rubio and all the rest! Nobody had a prayer against the Donald. Now... shouldn’t he be more concerned about where all those supporters disappeared to rather than where he thinks any cold-footed Carson supporters ran off to?
Heck, if you can’t keep track of your own children, why worry about somebody else’s?
There are other messages on record by the Cruz camp that were sent to 1500 precinct captains AFTER they were informed the Carson rumor was false. They are caught red-handed and can’t get out of it.
Helicondelta has a detailed post of all the facts and messages.
What “other messages”? Did any of them say “Carson is out”, or did they say “Carson is taking a break from campaigning after Iowa”. Because one would be a lie and the other true, no matter when it was sent.
#69
Look it up, research it, it’s all there. There is no excuse for not finding it if there is a sincere interest in finding it.
Desperately searching for the meaning of is?
Clinton would be proud to be on the Cruz Team, splitting hairs is one of their favorite pastimes.
I have never heard, or read that Ted personally said Carson was dropping out.
??
The Carson camp said he would go home to Florida before moving on the NH. It was spun that he was ‘taking a break’, then it was spun that he was ‘quitting’.
No matter, the Carson message to the Cruz camp was unequivocal in that he was not quitting, and this message was transmitted and confirmed by the Cruz campaign chief BEFORE the same chief decided to cheat and send the spun ‘quitting’ version direct to the 1500 precinct captains without even going through his staff.
It’s very clear he saw an opportunity to take advantage of the confusion and in so doing revealed himself to be a scumbag.
See post 62
Are we now claiming that there was some vast right-wing conspiracy that was out to get Carson and Trump? Are we now claiming that CNN and Cruz conspired to throw the iowa caucuses? That Carson’s weak campaigning had no effect on his loss in iowa?
No, that's not what they said at first. They said he was going home, and then to DC, and that he had no events scheduled in NH or SC.
send the spun 'quitting' version direct to the 1500 precinct captains without even going through his staff.
No one has yet posted this "quitting" version anywhere that I can find. Can you direct me to that? As a matter of fact, I have not seen the Carson message to the Cruz camp you refer to - where is that?
fake-painted-campaign-bus carson should be taken at his word at the eve of the iowa caucus election?
the same carson who lost his NH staff to cruz a few days ago?
the carson that whines to the press after receiving cruz’s public apology?
that carson??
just checking what you are asking for...
My guesses:
1) She has a job outside of the home
2) The parents and kids thought it would be fun to have them on the campaign trail and good to show a happy family
3) It has been harder than all of them realized it would be
So did the anti-Trump voters. Plenty.
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