Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has threatened to sue his rival Ted Cruz over his eligibility to serve in the White House unless he receives an apology from the Texas Senator for spreading lies about the real estate tycoon’s record.
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With just days left until the South Carolina Republican primary, many campaigns have taken a negative turn, accusing each other of “dirty politics”.
Cruz’s communications director, Rick Tyler, used a pun to dismiss Trump’s attacks.
Cruz said Trump sent his campaign a “cease and desist letter” demanding it drop the ad. “File the lawsuit”, Cruz, a lawyer, told reporters on Wednesday, adding he would depose Trump himself. “You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life, even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake”.
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.
Questioners at the town hall pressed Cruz, 45, on charges leveled against him by Trump that he may not be eligible to be president because he was born in Canada, and that none of his U.S. Senate colleagues liked him.
“There seems to be a lot of name calling going on, but I want to remind you what our good dad told me one time”, Bush said of their father, the former president George HW Bush. Trump claims the ad constituted defamation, but Cruz says “bring it on”.
Trump feels the RNC is in “default of their pledge” by filling Saturday’s GOP debate in SC with “lobbyists and special interests”.
If Trump does file suit, Cruz said he would consider being personally involved. According to many polls, Bush is running in fifth place, behind Ohio Governor John Kasich and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. “Wow – coming from a guy whose office has a hard time actually saying what his accomplishments are, who says going to hearings to listen to smart people talk about things, rather than actually leading, that’s kind of a low blow, if you think about it”, he said.
Cruz basically unloaded on the Trump and Rubio campaigns, saying both cry “liar” when he exposes their records.
Cruz’s campaign later told journalists they planned to air the ad more frequently.
The legal battle marked the latest escalation in the ongoing feud between Trump and Cruz.
Haley said Tuesday she’s still trying to make up her mind. About one-third say they would enthusiastically back Cruz (32%, down from 37% in January), and 31% say so about Rubio, about the same as in January.
Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz on Tuesday appealed to SC, a state with a large military and veteran population, with promises to strengthen USA defence as the next Republican primary approaches.
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“The reason Donald insults is because he can’t defend the substance”, said Mr Cruz.
