Last Updated on January 7, 2022
Senator Ted Cruz stopped by Tucker Carlson’s show last night to save face after calling January 6 a “violent terrorist attack.”
Carlson was not impressed by his explanation.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) yesterday called January 6 a “violent terrorist attack,” much to the displeasure of Republican voters and those with an accurate understanding of the events that took place last year.
On the same day, Senator Cruz put out a tweet claiming that the use of the term “insurrection” to describe January 6 was a bridge too far, leading many questioning his rationale.
Senator Cruz then made an appearance on last night’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News in an attempt to save face.
“Well, Tucker, thank you for having me on,” Cruz told Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “When you aired your episode last night, I sent you a text shortly thereafter and said, listen, I’d like to go on because the way I phrased things yesterday was sloppy, and it was frankly dumb—”
“I don’t buy that — whoah whoah whoah, I don’t buy that — look, I’ve known you a long time, since before you went to the Senate,” Carlson retorted.
“You were a Supreme Court contender. You take words as seriously as any man who’s ever served in the Senate.”
“I do not believe that you used that accidentally,” Carlson added. “I just don’t.”
Cruz insisted that he was only referring to “the limited number of people who engaged in violent attacks against police officers,” but the explanation was not sufficient for Carlson, who pointed out that individuals who assault police officers still ought to be prosecuted, but the use of egregious hyperbole to brand them “terrorists” is extreme.
“Wait a second, hold on, what you just said doesn’t make sense,” Carlson said. “So if somebody assaults a cop, they should be charged and go to jail…But that person is still not a terrorist.”
Ted Cruz explains his "terrorist attack" comment. pic.twitter.com/0xRbmOc5Si
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 7, 2022
Carlson pointed out that not a single person involved in the events of January 6 has been charged with insurrection or terrorism.
“Why did you use that word?” Carlson asked. “You’re playing into the other side’s characterization, that as Joe Kent just explained, allows them to define an entire population as foreign combatants, and you know that. So why did you do it?”
Cruz went on to admit that suspected federal asset Ray Epps “certainly appears” to have been “working for the FBI” after Carlson questioned the Senator on the viral reporting done by Revolver News, which provides substantial evidence indicating that the violence on January 6 was animated by undercover federal actors.
It would not be the first time the Canadian-born Texas Senator used the hyperbolic phrase. In May 2021, Senator Cruz called January 6 a “terrorist attack” and signaled his support for the ongoing investigation and prosecution of Trump supporters, adding that “everyone who attacked the Capitol must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and brought to justice.”
Senator Cruz has reportedly called the January 6 event a terrorist attack up to 3 times.
