Sen. Cruz on Violent Rioters: We Need Leaders to Stand up and Defend America Unapologetically

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With violent crime on the rise and Democratic politicians allowing radical Leftists' dangerous "defund the police" movement to gain steam, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday appeared on Fox News' ‘Hannity' and the ‘Joe Pags Show,' where he slammed the violence and riots and urged U.S. officials and politicians to stand up and defend America. Catch Sen. Cruz's full interview with Sean Hannity here and with Joe Pagliarulo here. Excerpts are below.

ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND VIOLENT RIOTERS:

"Unfortunately, the Democrats have released the crazies in their party and they are going nuts. The violence we're seeing, the rioting we're seeing. [...] We are seeing violent rioters. Antifa is behind much of it, and they are domestic terrorists. We need law enforcement to stand together, to stop this terrorism, to enforce the rule of law, and to protect American citizens." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Hannity,' Fox News, 7/1/2020)

"The First Amendment does not protect violence. [...]What you don't have a right to do is get out there with a rope and just commit acts of vandalism, tearing down whatever it is you disagree with. That is criminal conduct." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Joe Pags Show,' 7/1/2020)

WATCH: Cruz on Fox News: "Rioting Cannot Be Tolerated. It Needs to End and It Needs to End Now."

ON THE FAR LEFT'S HATRED OF AMERICA:

"What the far Left is doing, they hate America. This is not about social justice. This is not about equality. Every one of us agrees that everyone's rights should be protected, regardless of race. That's what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights do. But you look at these vandals that are tearing monuments down. They're trying to tear down George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. That ain't about the Confederacy. Last I checked, George Washington wasn't part of the Civil War. They hate America. And we need leaders, Sean, to stand up and defend America. Unapologetically, as the greatest nation in the history of the world, dedicated to equal justice." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Hannity,' Fox News, 7/1/2020)

WATCH: Antifa's Terrorist Assault on America

ON THE DANGEROUS "DEFUND THE POLICE" MOVEMENT:

"Well, the Democratic Party is afflicted with Trump derangement syndrome. They hate the president so much that they're allowing the crazies [out]. [...] NYPD is cutting a billion dollars from their police department and AOC says it's not enough? That is crazy. You know what the consequence of their attacking, demonizing, [and] defunding the police? The consequence will be a lot more black lives will be lost, a lot more white lives and Hispanic lives. You pull the police back and those, especially those who live in low-income neighborhoods, are going to find themselves the victims of much more violent crime. This is wrong." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Hannity,' Fox News, 7/1/2020)

"I believe it is a violation of existing federal civil rights laws for a politician to deliberately pull back police protection in a way that is politically biased and politically motivated. [...] I can tell you right now I'm working on legislation to make that very explicit and to give people the right to sue any municipality that pulls back police protection. That it is the fundamental responsibility of government to keep us safe, and if you have a politician who's so busy virtue signaling to the mob that they're not willing to protect the citizens. [...] I think we need leadership to call it out." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Joe Pags Show,' 7/1/2020)

ON STANDING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DEFENDING AMERICA:

"I stand with the NYPD. I stand with the men and women of law enforcement across this country. I've talked to a lot of cops in the last several weeks, and they're down. They're demoralized. You're seeing senior officers leaving the force. Young people, what 19-year-old in his right mind would say, ‘I'm going to go be a cop.' And you think that's good for America if people are scared to be a police officer and keep us safe?" (Sen. Cruz, ‘Hannity,' Fox News, 7/1/2020)

"We've got to stand up and stand up for America. The vandals who are rioting, who are attacking, they hate America. They're toppling statues or attacking statues of Jefferson and Washington. That has nothing to do with the Civil War. Last I checked, George Washington wasn't in the Civil War. Neither was Thomas Jefferson. And by the way, these same idiots are attacking Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. They hate America. They hate who we are. And we need Republicans, you're right. Grow a spine. [...] Defend our damn country." (Sen. Cruz, ‘Joe Pags Show,' 7/1/2020)

Since the violent rioting across the country first began, Sen. Cruz has called for strong leadership to protect the lives of every American. Here's what news outlets are saying:

Fox News: Republicans welcome end of CHOP zone, say it comes ‘several deaths too late'
"Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took to mocking the autonomous zone. ‘Boy, nation-states seem to be lasting shorter & shorter,' he said in one tweet. ‘Is it still the Summer of Love? #NowThatCHAZIsGone,' Cruz said in another. Cruz's ‘Summer of Love' tweet referenced a quote from Durkan during the early stages of the CHOP zone as she initially seemed uninterested in reclaiming the six-block area of her city that included a police precinct, which officers were forced to abandon, and several businesses, which business-owners could not get to."

Hannity: CRUZ SAYS ‘ENOUGH': Ted Cruz Rips ‘Leftist Vandals That Hate America'
"Texas Senator Ted Cruz ripped the ‘leftist vandals' that defaced a Washington memorial in New York City Tuesday; saying they ‘hate America.' [...] President Trump vowed to track-down and arrest a pair of vandals who defaced a historic monument in lower Manhattan Tuesday; saying the ‘anarchists' should face 10 years in prison for the attack."

Houston Chronicle: Ted Cruz says Antifa protesters are ‘behaving like bigots'
"U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lashed out at Antifa protesters, calling them bigots for taking advantage of otherwise peaceful protesters and causing violence throughout the nation.' Let's be clear, these Antifa protesters that are organizing these acts of terror, among other things, they are behaving in a profoundly racist manner,' Cruz said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. And yet you are seeing Antifa protesters deciding to abuse and take advantage of this crisis to wrongly paint the peaceful protesters as being violent," Cruz said. ‘They are behaving like bigots.'"

CNS News: Sen. Cruz: ‘We Need Leaders to Stand Up and Defend America Unapologetically'
‘Unfortunately, the Democrats have released the crazies in their party, and they are going nuts -- the violence we're seeing, the rioting we're seeing,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Fox News's Sean Hannity Wednesday night. ‘They hate America, and we need leaders, Sean, to stand up and defend America unapologetically as the greatest nation in the history of the world dedicated to equal justice.' Cruz said the Democrat Party hates President Trump so much they're allowing the far-left to literally run riot."

Fox News: Ted Cruz: Rioting cannot be tolerated, this is ‘terrorist assault' on America
"Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told ‘Outnumbered Overtime' on Tuesday that ‘rioting should not be tolerated' and called the violence that has taken place across the country over the past few days ‘a terrorist assault on our country.' [...] ‘Now is the time for strong leadership,' he continued. ‘Rioting should not be tolerated. It cannot be allowed and we need strong leadership from the president, from the attorney general, from governors, from mayors, from police chiefs.' [...] ‘What you don't have a right to do is engage in violent rioting,' he said. ‘What you don't have a right to do is loot. What you don't have a right to do is to light police cars on fire and attack your fellow citizens and we need law enforcement to be unequivocal that if you do that, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will spend a very long time in jail.'"

Washington Examiner: Barr creates task force to target ‘anti-government extremists
"On Thursday's episode of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's podcast, Verdict, Barr said his agency was using 35 joint terrorist task forces across the country to investigate criminal activity, saying over 500 investigations are currently underway. ‘They want to tear down the country. They are different than many traditional groups, and frequently, the signs of coordination and activity are very close to the event itself,' the attorney general said, describing those people behind the violence and the vandalizing of monuments."

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