In a press conference before a campaign stop in Seneca, South Carolina, Cruz said he would welcome a lawsuit from his fellow Republican presidential candidate over a campaign ad that the Texas senator recently started airing in the state.
Advertisement
Two days before South Carolina’s crucial Republican primary, Trump paces the field at 35%, followed by Cruz’s 19% and Rubio’s 15%, in a Poll of Polls averaging the four most recent surveys of likely Republican primary voters spanning February 10-17.
Cruz, holding a cease and desist letter from Trump’s lawyers, said: “Mr Trump you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life”.
“Both Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have this very unusual pattern where if you point to their actual record, if you point to the words that come out of their mouth, they don’t respond on substance; they scream and shout “liar, liar, liar”, said Mr Cruz. “If he wants to file a frivolous lawsuit, he can file a frivolous lawsuit”.
Rubio, hoping to overtake Cruz for second place in SC, where Trump leads in the polls, accused Cruz of spreading falsehoods with an ad attacking Rubio over his position on immigration.
Cruz has been trying to defend himself against charges of dishonesty from Trump and Rubio for weeks. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen.
Rubio aides said the moves were aimed at bringing the campaign’s ad spending down to the level of its competitors in SC, not a sign of financial troubles or an indication that the Florida senator was lowering expectations in the state.
In a statement issued by his campaign minutes after Cruz’s comments Wednesday, Trump pointed to the Cruz campaign’s tactics in Iowa, where staffers inaccurately portrayed Ben Carson as dropping out of the race while caucus-goers were still voting. “Like a freight train barreling through signals with his horn on full blast, Trump heads down the track towards a possible nomination”, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
Speaking directly to Trump, Cruz says. “Torture works, OK folks?” the brash billionaire told a crowd in SC, site of the next Republican primary on Saturday.
Jeb spoke of Trump, without mentioning him by name: “While he was building a reality TV show, I didn’t watch it, but I’m sure it was great, George Bush was building the security apparatus that still keeps us safe”.
And on the Florida senator, Cruz said, “Marco Rubio is behaving like Donald Trump with a smile”.
George W. Bush offered some vivid imagery of what took place on September 11 without addressing Trump’s criticism and saluted US military personnel, a key constituency in SC.
If Trump does file suit, Cruz said he would consider being personally involved. Yet, Cruz’s rivals say he’s the one who’s untruthful. “If you want to file a lawsuit… file the lawsuit”.
Advertisement
On the Obama administration’s decision to open up relations with Cuba: “I think it’s a real mistake…”
