Early this morning Ted Cruz put out a statement on the “despicable act of terrorism” we saw yesterday at the Capitol building:
The attack at the Capitol was a despicable act of terrorism and a shocking assault on our democratic system. We must come together and put this anger and division behind us. We must, and I am confident we will, have a peaceful and orderly transition of power. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/84HHQdpMZd
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 7, 2021
Below is his full statement:
“The attack at the Capitol was a despicable act of terrorism and a shocking assault on our democratic system. The Department of Justice should vigorously prosecute everyone who was involved in these brazen acts of violence. I thank the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police and all other law enforcement agencies who responded to restore peace.
“Now, we must come together and put this anger and division behind us. We must stand side-by-side as Americans. We must continue to defend our Constitution and the rule of law.
“That’s why my colleagues and I called for an electoral commission to give Americans confidence in this past election and in elections going forward. Millions of Americans who have peacefully expressed their deep concerns regarding election integrity deserve to have their voices heard. It was the right thing to do. I very much wish Congress had not set aside these concerns, but I respect the position each of my colleagues took. Debate in the two houses of Congress is the proper way to resolve our political differences, not through violent attacks.
“Now, Congress must fulfill our constitutional responsibility to complete the Electoral College certification process. We must, and I am confident we will, have a peaceful and orderly transition of power, pursuant to the Constitution.”
It’s a good statement. I’m sure there are some on our side who won’t like it, but I think it’s reasonable and strong.
But radical leftist AOC attacked Cruz a few minutes ago, blaming him for what happened yesterday and calling for his and Hawley’s resignation:
Sen. Cruz, you must accept responsibility for how your craven, self-serving actions contributed to the deaths of four people yesterday. And how you fundraised off this riot.
Both you and Senator Hawley must resign. If you do not, the Senate should move for your expulsion. https://t.co/O2m6T59LYP
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 7, 2021
Ted Cruz hit back hard, calling AOC a liar and telling her he ain’t going nowhere:
1/2 @AOC You are a liar.
Leading a debate in the Senate on ensuring election integrity is doing our jobs, and it’s in no way responsible for the despicable terrorists who attacked the Capitol yesterday.
And sorry, I ain’t going anywhere. When you and your socialist buddies… https://t.co/UoKBOC8ZU7
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 7, 2021
2/2 …try to massively raise taxes, when you try to pass the green new deal & destroy millions of jobs, when you push for amnesty, when you try to pack the Supreme Court w/ activists to undermine our Constitutional rights…
I will fight that every step & stand with the People.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 7, 2021
Cruz is right. Making objections within a political process, after what we say yesterday, had nothing to do with inciting what happened at the Capitol. AOC is just one of many nasty politicians using what happened yesterday to try and destroy her political opponents.
You’d think that AOC would be applauding what happened yesterday after she wrote this in December:
The whole point of protesting is to make ppl uncomfortable.
Activists take that discomfort w/ the status quo & advocate for concrete policy changes. Popular support often starts small & grows.
To folks who complain protest demands make others uncomfortable… that’s the point.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 2, 2020