Ted Cruz Turns On Paul Ryan As Republicans Rip Each Other Apart

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on the Republican tire fire today by refusing to say that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is a true conservative on Meet The Press.

Video:

Transcript via Meet The Press:

CHUCK TODD:

Alright. I wanna do two more things about this Washington. Is Paul Ryan a true conservative?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Oh, listen. I– I– I like Paul Ryan. He’s a friend of mine. This is obviously a question that is wrapped up in the Speaker of the House– deliberations. I have said consistently I’m gonna stay outta that.

CHUCK TODD:

I understand that.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

I’m gonna leave that for the House Republicans–

CHUCK TODD:

But is he a true conservative?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Oh, that’s a decision for House Republicans to make and for the American people to make.

CHUCK TODD:

Mark Levin who you joked should be– you said, “I want Mark Levin as speaker. He”–

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Mark Levin is definitely a true conservative.

CHUCK TODD:

He’s– he’s true conservative. You’ll say that but you won’t say Paul Ryan is. He doesn’t think Paul Ryan is right now.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

L– let me say–

CHUCK TODD:

He– he doesn’t like his stance on– on the debt limit and on TARP and things like that.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

I have said consistently throughout that the question of House leadership is a question for the House Republican conference.

The question that Chuck Todd asked Cruz has nothing to do with the House leadership race. Todd was asking Sen. Cruz to vouch for Paul Ryan’s conservativism, and Cruz wouldn’t do it.

Ted Cruz was meddling in the House race by saying nothing. Especially, when he is well aware that one of the Ryan’s conditions associated with running for Speaker is that the Republican caucus is behind him.

Cruz doesn’t want somebody like Paul Ryan to be the next speaker. He wants someone in the mold of talk radio hosts like Mark Levin or Rush Limbaugh to lead the House. Sen. Cruz wants somebody will always say no, and never be able to get to yes on every issue.

Sen. Cruz’s refusal to endorse Paul Ryan’s conservatism is just the latest turn in Republican civil war that has divided the party into two halves. Cruz sided with the critics of Ryan’s conservative and threw the GOP’s last chance of finding a new Speaker of the House under the bus.

Jason Easley

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