Ted Cruz blasts tabloid’s ‘garbage’ report of affairs
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and wife Heidi, walk on stage before the candidate spoke at a campaign stop on Thursday in Dane, Wis.
WASHINGTON » Ted Cruz responded forcefully today to a National Enquirer report that suggested the married Texas senator had engaged in extramarital affairs with five women and blamed opponent Donald Trump for its existence.
“Let me be clear. This National Enquirer story is garbage. It is complete and utter lies,” the GOP presidential candidate told reporters after appearing at an Oshkosh, Wis., town hall. “It is a tabloid smear and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.”
Cruz singled out the only named source in the tabloid’s story, former Trump political adviser and longtime GOP operative Roger Stone, who was quoted as saying, “where there is smoke there is fire.” Cruz said Stone was so well known for his political dirty tricks that he was identified with a vulgar term describing “copulating with a rodent.”
“Donald may be a rat but I have no desire to copulate with him,” said Cruz. “This garbage does not belong in politics.”
Trump issued a statement instead of a tweet, his usual form of communication with supporters. “I have no idea whether or not the cover story about Ted Cruz in this week’s issue of the National Enquirer is true or not, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, did not know about it, and have not, as yet, read it,” he said.
Trump continued to refer to Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted” and brought up the tabloid’s accurate stories on former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, a onetime North Carolina senator, who had a child from his extramarital affair, and the Enquirer’s reporting on O.J. Simpson, acquitted of murdering his wife and her friend.
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“Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz,” said Trump in a statement he also posted on Facebook. “I look forward to spending the week in Wisconsin, winning the Republican nomination and ultimately the Presidency in order to Make America Great Again.”
Trump and Cruz are in an intense competition to win enough delegates to claim the GOP nomination. Trump is the front-runner but they are locked in a close race in Wisconsin, which holds its primary April 5. Most recently, they have been engaged in a war of words about their wives,
The Enquirer did not name the five women that Cruz was alleged to have relationships with, but it published pixelated pictures of them and enough identifying details that, within hours, names were called on Twitter.
Two of them responded publicly Friday denying any affair with Cruz. Amanda Carpenter, a former Cruz communications director who appears as a political commentator on CNN, was questioned by pro-Trump columnist Adriana Cohen on a midday program.
Although their discussion was initially about how the candidates’ wives Heidi Cruz and Melania Trump were being portrayed, Cohen brought up the Enquirer story and said, “you’ve been named Amanda.” Carpenter responded heatedly, “What’s out there is tabloid trash. If someone wants to comment on it, they can talk to my lawyer. … It is categorically false.”
The other woman who Twitter followers identified was Katrina Pierson, a national spokeswoman for Trump.
“Of course the National Enquirer story is 100 percent FALSE!!!” she tweeted. “I only speak to myself, however.” (She apparently meant to say “for” herself.)
Pierson is from Texas and, as a tea party activist, worked for Cruz’s campaign for U.S. Senate in 2012. She ran her own campaign challenge against Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, in 2014 and had the support of Cruz’s father but lost. She supported Trump last year and has often been the face of the campaign for cable news programs.
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©2016 McClatchy Washington Bureau
14 responses to “Ted Cruz blasts tabloid’s ‘garbage’ report of affairs”
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I never heard Trump mention Cruz’s wife until Cruz’s Super Pac splashed nude pictures of Melania in an ad. If Lyin’ Ted should be angry at someone it should be the Super Pac. Donald does not have Super Pacs because they are despicable.
LesPark, please, the Super PAC was a Anti-Trump PAC, probably by the GOP Establishment, which to some extent checks out. Nothing to do with Ted Cruz and his campaign. This Trump reaction and now the battle with Cruz will bring Trump down. Look at Wisconsin polls, Cruz is beginning to have separation from Trump. And, other States that are coming up are turning against Trump. Trump attacking Heidi Cruz, Ted’s wife is a huge mistake Trump cannot take back. He does show a very thin skin. Pretty sad.
Kuroiwaj – maybe you didn’t get the memo but the Republican establishment now supports Cruz 100%. Their Super Pac is now his Super Pac. Just the opposite of what you say, it’s Cruz that appears to be thin skinned. The enquirer story has apparently struck an exposed nerve with Ted. Most people don’t pay much attention to a tabloid story as they’re almost always exaggerated stories or flat out untrue but in this case they may be closer to the truth than Cruz is comfortable with.
SWYT, did receive the memo and the GOP establishment supports the Ohio Governor. The end game is to stop Trump from getting the 1,237 delegates by the National Convention. The GOP establishment don’t care for Ted Cruz more than they don’t support Donald Trump.
Cruz is just a horrible person and totally without credentials to run the uSA. His only claim to fame was causing an embarrassing and very expensive shutdown of the government.
Allie, I am a Ted Cruz supporter. How about his winning before the U.S. Supreme Court Medellin v. Texas that the U.S. is not subject to the World Court, or winning that “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance remains, or defending Hobby Lobby and winning against Obamacare, or representing 31 States in DC v. Heller and winning. This is only part of his resume. He is a leader we can all follow, and I’m saying it as a Vietnam combat veteran.
LesPark, Trump’s wife pic was released by a Anti-Trump GOP Establishment PAC and not by Ted Cruz. Trump’s response shows his super thin skin and lack of maturity to be President of the United States. Trump’s reaction and following attacks on Heidi Cruz, Ted’s wife is a huge mistake he can never take back. Trump’s big campaign mistake. Look at Wisconsin polls where Cruz is beginning to have separation from Trump, and we will see this happening in all the remaining primary states.
Wishful thinking at it’s best!
She’ll have a nervous breakdown. Trouble with Cruz is he should have gone after the PAC and not Trump. Lyin’ Cruz. Why is Amanda not on the team? Lyin’ again? Something smells fishy.
It was either Cruz or Kasich and I don’t think it was Kasich.
This is hilarious !
Cruz starts by advertising unsophisticated-blurred pictures of Trumps wife when she was a model.
Then complains that, ‘ this garbage (dirty politics) doesn’t belong in politics’ when the Inquirer does an investigation on Cruz’s infidelity with 5 women.
The Inquirer has been sued many times for untrue / sensationalistic stories. They may have stumbled on something knowing the stakes of possibly being sued for defamation/character by Cruz.
I wonder what Cruz’s wife thinks about all of this?
She’ll have a nervous breakdown. Trouble with Cruz is he should have gone after the PAC and not Trump.
She’ll have a nervous breakdown. Trouble with Cruz is he should have gone after the PAC and not Trump. Lyin’ Cruz. Why is Amanda not on the team? Lyin’ again? Something smells fishy.
Wow. The top two choices for the GOPPERS. I pity the party. Here’s Mud in your face, mate.
meanwhile, both father and father in law of chelsea clinton have been convicted of fraud and spent time in prison. no main stream media reports.