In a statement that read more like a temper tantrum than a defense, Ted Cruz claimed that the New York Times was a liberally biased liar that was blackballing his book.
In a statement that was textbook pandering to right-wing paranoia, the Cruz campaign said:
Their decision to blackball Cruz’s book suggests that the Times very much does not want people to read the book.
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There were no “strategic bulk purchases.” Cruz spent last week on a nation-wide book tour, signing copies of his book at multiple locations. Booksellers at each event had long lines—sometimes over 400 people per event.
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“The Times is presumably embarrassed by having their obvious partisan bias called out. But their response—alleging ‘strategic bulk purchases’—is a blatant falsehood,” said Cruz campaign spokesperson Rick Tyler. “The evidence is directly to the contrary. In leveling this false charge, the Times has tried to impugn the integrity of Senator Cruz and of his publisher Harper Collins.”
“We call on the Times, release your so-called ‘evidence.’ Demonstrate that your charge isn’t simply a naked fabrication, designed to cover up your own partisan agenda. And, if you cannot do so, then issue a public apology to Senator Cruz and Harper Collins editor Adam Bellow for making false charges against them.”
The Cruz campaign has been able to provide no evidence that the books were organically purchased. The likely culprit behind the bulk purchase was a collection of super PAC’s working under variations of the name Keep the Promise that all support Ted Cruz. The campaign’s explanation that Cruz is number one on Amazon, a list that can be easily gamed, and that the sales came from book signings makes no sense. Ted Cruz did not sell nearly 12,000 books at a string of book signings.
The reality is that The New York Times caught Cruz’s supporters cheating. After The Times jumped in bed with the right on the bogus Clinton Cash book, it is getting more and more difficult for Republicans like Cruz to use the old liberal bias canard. The Republican practice of buying their way onto the bestseller list is nothing new. It has been going on for years.
Ted Cruz is trying to use the publicity from his cheating to revive his flatlining presidential campaign. If Cruz’s book is popular, and real people are buying it, the book will be on the list next week. It defies logic that a presidential campaign that is stuck at about 4% support is launching a bestseller.
Sen. Cruz got caught trying to rig the game, and now he is throwing a tantrum.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
