Ted Cruz's Attempt To Explain Journalism To Reporter Backfires Spectacularly
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tried to defend President Donald Trump’s constant rants about “Obamagate.”
It didn’t go well.
Trump has repeatedly railed against former President Barack Obama, claiming “Obamagate” is the “biggest political crime in American history” without offering any details on what that supposed crime is.
When asked by a reporter to explain it earlier this month, Trump simply said, “You know what the crime is.”
On Wednesday, MSNBC analyst and editor of The Recount John Heilemann replied to Trump’s latest “Obamagate” tweet with another request for an explanation.
That’s when Cruz stepped in it:
I thought that was a reporter’s job? https://t.co/KbvjX0nzHO
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 27, 2020
In 2016, Cruz himself was on the receiving end of wild accusations from Trump when the two were rivals for the GOP nomination ― including a claim that the senator’s father, Rafael Cruz, was somehow involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Since then, the Texas Republican has become a staunch Trump supporter, but Heilemann took the opportunity to remind the senator of the accusation:
Sorry, I'm still busy reporting out Trump's accusation that your father was involved in the killing of JFK. https://t.co/bs7L5W4QCj
— John Heilemann (@jheil) May 27, 2020
Others also quickly joined in, with some making similar references to Cruz’s history with Trump:
You think it’s a reporter’s job to chase down obvious (and deliberately vague) batshit conspiracy theories propagated by a vicious and desperate lunatic? You really are a joke.
— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) May 28, 2020
The reporters job is to report about a man who can’t defend his wife when the President calls her ugly.
No one know what Obamagate is because Obamagate doesn’t exist.— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) May 27, 2020
If this was Cruz sarcasm, or said by someone on the left in jest, it might be the funniest thing I read on here today.
Yes, zodiac killer who's actually Canadian, the job of a reporter is to construct explanations for allegations too wild for the accuser to actually articulate. https://t.co/96j2OM2LWp— Kelly Steele (@steelekelly) May 27, 2020
Remember when the president called your wife ugly?
— Joe Berkowitz (@JoeBerkowitz) May 27, 2020
He's the one making the statements, Ted. Can YOU elaborate on what he means?
— Dave Weasel (@DaveWeasel) May 28, 2020
A reporter’s job is to ask questions to get the answers. I thought you were smarter than this?
— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) May 27, 2020
Zodiac Killer says what? pic.twitter.com/MscRAWmMfI
— Katrina Los Angeles (@KatrinaRulz) May 28, 2020
You're a Harvard-trained lawyer. Why don't *you* explain it?
Unless, of course, there is nothing to this stupid allegation and you are too much of a coward to admit that fact.— Pejman Yousefzadeh: Insulin User Extraordinaire (@Yousefzadeh) May 27, 2020
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.