Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has a history of calling out the Biden administration for abusing its political power. This week, he doubled down on that message with new comments in a similar vein.
The Lone Star State lawmaker made the remarks on the Monday September 9 edition of The Chris Salcedo Show, during which he was addressing Donald Trump’s business lawsuit in New York City and how it was recently described by the Big Apple’s top federal prosecutor as a “travesty of justice.”
Cruz said that the case—which involved alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, said to have been done under false pretenses to sway the 2016 presidential election—is “utterly corrupt.” The former president was found guilty of all 34 counts against him back in May and has yet to be sentenced.
But Cruz spoke primarily about the controversial trial as an example of how the Biden administration has been “weaponizing the federal government.” The Texas senator said that there has been “a pattern” presenting itself during the past four years, when President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been “using” federal agencies to “go after their enemies.”
He specifically named the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as key agencies used against political rivals, first and foremost being Trump, who was indicted by Democrats in four separate cases. This, as Cruz noted, has “never” before occurred in the United States.
He further argued that Democrats targeting Trump are doing so as an act of “psychological projection,” meaning they are claiming the former president has done wrongs that they are engaging in themselves. Cruz also described the targeting of the GOP nominee as “an attack on democracy” resulting from the left-wing party being “terrified” that Americans will vote for Trump.
Additionally, the Texas senator expressed support for a continuing resolution (CR) proposal linked to a bill related to election integrity. This measure is spearheaded by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who is working around the clock to ensure that the federal government can have approved funding before the start of the fiscal year on October 1.
Cruz said that this proposal, especially the part about election integrity, is “the right thing to do.” He also pointed out that it would “reveal an enormous amount” of insight regarding Democratic lawmakers and leaders if they are “willing to force” the government to undergo a partial shutdown instead of strengthening voter verification in the upcoming presidential election.
But Johnson’s plan has not won the support of every Republican in Congress. Despite being backed by some lawmakers such as Cruz, a handful of others are determined to vote against the proposal, which is also supported by Trump. Five Republicans have already declared their dissent, marking one more than Johnson can afford to have against him.
The CR proposal would give six additional months to allow for updated federal funding to be approved without the imminent threat of a shutdown. The legislation paired with it, called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or SAVE Act, would require in-person citizenship verification for everyone registering to vote.
