Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted a reporter for playing a “nasty Washington game” after suggesting the Senator’s children should be in prison while posing a question about Hunter Biden.
The heated exchanged occurred Monday evening during the dinner break in the Senate impeachment trial. Cruz talking to reporters said the Senate heard “two hours of evidence” that justified the president has the authority to investigate the corruption in the relationship between Hunter Biden and Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma.
“The House Managers built their entire case on the proposition that investigating Burisma corruption, that investigating the Bidens for corruption was baseless and a sham,” Cruz said. “That proposition is absurd… we’ve just seen two hours of evidence and, at a minimum, it was not only reasonable and justified, but the president, I think, had an obligation to investigate corruption that potentially extended to the very highest levels of government.”
.@tedcruz handled this bizarre exchange masterfully.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) January 28, 2020
Reporter argues that Hunter’s Burisma arrangement is NBD, then says “shouldn’t half of your kids also be in jail?” As if half of Senator's kids are getting millions from foreign govs to do nothing.pic.twitter.com/7EE859ZEaU
Playboy White House reporter and CNN contributor Brian Karem interjected by stating that the Trump defense team had not pointed to any crimes committed by Biden.
“None of the president’s attorneys mentioned one single possible crime,” Karem asked. “Basically, what they said is Hunter Biden got a job, his dad was vice president. If that’s a crime, I mean, shouldn’t half of your children be in prison?”
“My children are nine and 11,” Cruz replied, drawing some chuckles from other legislators and reporters. “I’m sorry you want to throw a nine-year-old in prison, but at this point, my third grader plays basketball and softball at her school. So, stop playing that nasty Washington game.”
“I’m sorry, it’s not a nasty Washington game,” the reporter objected.
“Attacking a 9-year-old?” Cruz shot back before moving on with the press conference.
Cruz has called for Hunter Biden, who received the job on the board of Burisma with no prior experience in the energy sector while his father oversaw U.S. foreign relations with Ukraine, to testify. Some Republicans have pitched the idea of “witness reciprocity” by allowing witnesses requested by Democrats to testify in exchange for the former Vice President Biden and his son.
“Look in my view, additional witnesses are not necessary,” Cruz said. “The House managers have presented their case. They haven’t come remotely close to meeting their burden of proof. Now that being said, if the Senate later this week when we vote, decides to go down that road to additional witnesses, I think at a minimum, the most important witness for the Senate to hear from, is now Hunter Biden.”
ImpeachmentImpeachment TrialSen. Ted CruzSenate
What do you think?