'Kremlin Cruz' Erupts Over Nickname By Brian Williams For Attack On 'Emasculated' Military

Mary Papenfuss
·Trends Reporter, HuffPost
Updated ·4 min read
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had a Twitter meltdown after MSNBC’s Brian Williams called him “Kremlin Cruz” for his disdain of “emasculated” U.S. troops in contrast to the mighty Russian military.

Williams noted on “The 11th Hour” Friday night that the Texas lawmaker didn’t like being called “Cancun Cruz” when he broke COVID-19 health recommendations to sneak out of the country for a vacation in the sun in February while his fellow Texans suffered through a record-breaking cold amid a power outage.

“He really won’t like being called ‘Kremlin Cruz’ after his latest and remarkably stupid lapse in judgment,” added Williams, who recalled how Cruz bashed “emasculated” American troops after watching a Russian propaganda video on its military he-men.

Cruz fired back over his newest nickname, even though his disdain for U.S. troops in recent tweets seems clear.

“Holy crap. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea,” Cruz tweeted Thursday in an inflammatory post referring to American troops. He was responding to a video from an unknown source that melded part of a brutish Russian propaganda video about troops to a recruitment ad from the U.S. Army, which highlighted the diversity of the military.

Cruz’s tweet struck a furious nerve, particularly among Americans who have actually served in the military, unlike the Texas senator. Critics also pointed out Cruz’s steadfast support for former President Donald Trump as Trump often gushed over Russian President Vladimir Putin as a smart, strong leader with effective control of his country.

But Cruz doubled down, tweeting later: “Dem politicians & the woke media are trying to turn” service members “into pansies.”

Still, he railed against Williams’ nickname, insisting in a long string of tweets that he “hates communists.” Trump’s pal Putin used to be in the KGB, but the Communist Party was outlawed in Russia in 1991.

He also said Williams “is Pravda,” the Russian newspaper, and said that President Joe Biden should be called “Kremlin Joe” for dropping sanctions intended to block Russia’s construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline into Germany, which he said was essentially a “multi-billion-dollar gift.”

And Cruz suddenly changed his assessment of U.S. troops from “emasculated” to “the finest fighting force on the face of the Planet.”

Critics still weren’t buying it.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.