With just days left until the South Carolina Republican primary, many campaigns have taken a negative turn, accusing each other of “dirty politics.”
Wednesday, Senator Cruz walked into a news conference in Seneca caring a letter from Donald Trump’s lawyers. The “cease and desist” letter threatened Cruz with legal action if he doesn’t take down the campaign’s most recent attack ad against Trump.
Cruz basically unloaded on the Trump and Rubio campaigns, saying both cry “liar” when he exposes their records. He started eviscerating Trump, playing the ad that upset Trump’s people.
A looming voiceover talks about the delicate balance of family and religious liberties that America is “one Supreme Court Justice away” from losing, before cutting to an interview Trump did with the late Tim Russert in 1999.
“Would President Trump ban partial birth abortions,” questions Russert.
“Look, I’ve very pro choice,” says Trump
“But you would not ban it,” Russert states.
“No, I am pro choice in every respect,” says Trump.
The ad then asserts Donald Trump can’t be trusted to make conservative choices such as a Supreme Court nominee based on his record
“To Mr. Trump, you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits your entire adult life,” said Cruz as the ad ended.
Cruz said the ad uses Trump’s own words. Trump’s legal team calls it defamation. Wednesday, the Texas senator said bring it on.
“So, Donald, if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad claiming it is defamation, file the lawsuit,” said Cruz.
Cruz said he would depose Donald Trump himself and force him to tell the truth under oath. Yet, Cruz’s rivals say he’s the one who’s untruthful.
“You are the single biggest liar. You probably are worse than Jeb Bush,” shouted Donald Trump in Saturday’s debate in Greenville.
Rubio took his own shots during that same debate.
“For a number of weeks now, Ted Cruz has just been telling lies. He lied about Ben Carson in Iowa,” said Rubio.
Wednesday, Cruz said there’s a reason they are attacking him.
“Whenever anyone points to their actual record, the response of both Marco Rubio and Donald Trump is to yell “liar,’” Cruz said.
Cruz turned focus to Marco Rubio, who just this week accused the Cruz camp of creating a fake Facebook page alleging South Carolina Congressman, Trey Gowdy, was resending his endorsement of Rubio for Cruz.
“Marco Rubio is behaving like Donald Trump with a smile,” said Cruz.
Cruz denied they were involved, instead blasting the Rubio campaign for making the accusation and putting out robo calls that called Cruz “unethical.”
Neither the Trump and Rubio campaigns, nor Congressman Gowdy responded to our requests for comment, Wednesday.