The suit would be against the National Enquirer. It has lost a few, and settled a few.
If a bunch of bimbos went to the National Enquirer and lied, and then the National Enquirer believed them... the bimbos don’t get sued, right? Only the paper?
No, Cruz cannot sue the Enquirer because the Enquirer merely reported the existence of an allegation or rumor - it did not report the story itself. Cruz is a public figure and such speculation is not actionable.
Trump gets a two-fer with his planting of this flaming bag of doo-doo by using it also as "proof" that libel laws need to be changed.
However, if Cruz can prove Trump to be the source of a false and intentionally harmful action, Cruz can try to sue Trump for slander.
My direction question to Jim Robinson's post#2 remains. Who does Jim Robinson think Cruz should sue?