Cruz to Democrats on Fox News: Stop Partisan Rage and Start Working for American People
NEW YORK CITY, New York - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today appeared in studio on Fox News' ‘America's Newsroom' where he urged congressional Democrats to get over their anger at the American people for electing President Trump and do their jobs.
When asked about the impeachment inquiry, Sen. Cruz said congressional Democrats are only interested in attacking President Trump:
"At the end of the day, congressional Democrats are angry. They are angry about the 2016 election, and ultimately they are angry at the voters. They are angry that the voters elected President Trump. [...] From day one, they have wanted to get this president out of office. And as a result, they're not doing their job. They're not actually interested in legislating. They're not interested in working together to produce more jobs, and raise wages and expand opportunity. It's just about attacking the president."
On the released transcript of President Trump's call with the President of Ukraine, Sen. Cruz said:
"Look, we ought to know what the facts are. There's an investigation in the Senate. The Senate voted unanimously to send this complaint to the Senate Intelligence Committee. We'll figure out what the facts are."
He continued:
"I read the transcript carefully. I've read the entire so-called whistle-blower complaint. I've got to say, the transcript sure didn't live up to its billing. So just a few days ago the Democrats were breathlessly on TV saying, ‘You're going to see an illegal quid pro quo. It's going to prove that.' Well you look at the transcript, there's no illegal quid pro quo in that transcript. The president is asking another foreign leader to assist in investigating, number one, election interference in 2016. Now that - investigating election interference in 2016 is a perfectly legitimate and appropriate law enforcement priority. The Democrats have been talking nonstop about Russian interference. I'm not sure why they somehow think Ukrainian interference shouldn't be examined."
When asked whether the Congress will be able pass legislation, particularly on gun reform, Sen. Cruz said:
"It certainly should. Let me say two things. I think Nancy [Pelosi] understands that impeachment is a train wreck for the Democrats. She has been trying to hold back the hordes. [...] Her extreme left [base] is angry. They are marching in the streets with pitchforks and torches. The reason they're going down the road of impeachment is she doesn't have any choice. That's not good for the American people.
"You talk about gun violence - look, we have seen far too many mass murders. In my home state of Texas, I've been there for too many of these mass murders in the days and weeks that follow, whether in El Paso, Odessa, Santa Fe or Sutherland Springs. And there's a lot we can do. Going back to 2013 - I introduced legislation, Grassley-Cruz that focuses on the bad guys. That focuses on felons and fugitives, and those with dangerous mental illness. That strengthens background checks. That gets guns out of the hands of criminals, and that also protects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. Democrats don't want to do that. Instead they just want to attack the president. Her base is so filled with rage, that sadly I expect the next year, I don't think the Pelosi House has any interest in any meaningful substantive legislation."
He then highlighted the provisions of his bipartisan Grassley-Cruz bill, legislation to prevent mass shootings and protect lives, as well as protect American's God-given right to self-defense:
"In 2013 we took up Grassley-Cruz. [...] It was a Harry Reid Senate at the time. And Grassley Cruz got 52 votes. We got a majority of the Senate supporting it. We got nine Democrats - we got the most bipartisan support of any of the comprehensive legislation. But unfortunately, Harry Reid and the Democrats filibustered it. They demanded 60 [votes] and so it didn't pass. And I'll tell you - unlike all these Democratic proposals, every time you have a mass shooting, the Democrats say let's go after law abiding citizens, let's undermine their Second Amendment rights. Their proposals don't work. They wouldn't have prevented any of these mass shootings. Grassley-Cruz, if you look at it, there's a very good argument we could have prevented a number of these mass shootings. Why? Because [Grassley-Cruz] targets the bad guys - the violent criminals. It gets the guns out of their hands, and when they break the law, it directs DOJ to prosecute them. Here's an amazing thing - when felons and fugitives try to illegally buy guns, the Department of Justice by and large doesn't prosecute them. Grassley-Cruz says; if you have a felon who tries to illegally buy a gun, go prosecute them, put them in jail, so they can't commit a crime. That's commonsense. That's what we ought to be doing. But at least right now, the House doesn't seem to have any interest in doing that."
Watch the full interview here.
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