Cruz at the focus of backlash over the deadly attack
WASHINGTON — Moments before a mob of President Donaldtrump’s supporters stormedthe Capitol, Sen. Ted Cruz was on the Senate floor warning that “democracy is in crisis” as he objected to counting Arizona’s Electoral College votes.
Both the House and Senate were evacuated as protesters forced their way into both chambers, breaking windows along the way.
Tear gas was deployed and at least one person was shot and killed by law enforcement inside the Capitol.
In his speech to the Senate, Cruz had urged his colleagues on “both sides” to calm down as he argued for delaying the certification of Presidentelect Joe Biden’s win, calling for an“emergency audit” of the results based on debunked allegations of widespread voter fraud.
Now, many are blaming Cruz and the other Republicans—including 10 other senator san dad ozen congressman from texas who supported cruz’ s effort — for escalating the post-election strife that preceded Wednesday’s eruption.
“This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” Sen. Mitt
Romney, R-utah, yelled as the mayhem unfolded in the Senate chamber, the New York Times reported.
In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night, Romney said those objecting "will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack on our democracy."
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-san Antonio, tweeted that Cruz “should resign from the United States Senate immediately.”
Castro’s call was echoed by other Democrats, including the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, Gilberto Hinojosa.
“This is the inevitable result of the rhetoric of Ted Cruz, Jim Jordan … and the rest of these antiAmerican Republicans,” tweeted Walter Shaub, a former director of the United States Office of Government Ethics.
Cruz’s campaign, meanwhile, sent text messages to supporters in an effort to raise money off of his “fight to reject electors from key states unless there is an emergency audit” as the rioting raged in the Capitol.
A staffer for Cruz said the messages were preplanned and “in no way shape or form would he ever have approved this to go out right now.”
“It is yourself serving attempt at sedition that has helped to inspire these terrorists and their attempted coup,” Beto O’rourke, who ran against Cruz in 2018, tweeted at the senator.
Cruz responded: “Stop stoking division. Stop spreading hatred. Stop using malicious rhetoric (such as false & reckless charges of “sedition”). Stop showing contempt for the half of the country that disagrees with you. Violence is wrong. We can do better. We are one Nation. #Epluribusunum”
Cruz and other Republicans, sheltering as the riots raged in the Capitol, urged the mobs to leave on Twitter.
“Those storming the Capitol need to stop NOW,” Cruz tweeted. “The Constitution protects peaceful protest, but violence — from Left or Right — is ALWAYS wrong. And those engaged in violence are hurting the cause they say they support.”
Trump eventually urged his supporters to give up, as well, via a recorded video message in which he again falsely claimed the election was stolen and said “we love you, you’re very special.”
The riots came after Trump and some of his high-profile supporters urged those at a rally outside the White House earlier Wednesday to move to the Capitol as Congress began to count the Electoral College votes.
“I’ll be with you,” Trump told his supporters outside the White House.
Rep. Al Green, D-houston, said the blame for what happened later lies with Trump.
“This is the president’s doing,” Green said. “I think that the president has to be our focus.”
In his speech to the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, Cruz addressed Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who had pushed back against his call for an “emergency audit” of the election.
He made the case he was working to build confidence in the results, which he said he was not seeking to toss out.
“What does it say to the nearly half of the country that believes this election was rigged if we vote not to even to consider the claims of illegality and fraud in this election?” Cruz said.
In recent weeks, Trump’s attorneys have failed to prove voter fraud allegations as they lost dozens of lawsuits aimed at overturning the Nov. 3 election. On Wednesday, Cruz had called for a deeper review of some of the same claims from those cases.
Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell noted as much as he pushed back on Cruz’s effort, saying American democracy “would enter a death spiral” if Congress were to toss out the election results.
“Nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale, the massive scale, that would’ve tipped the entire election,” Mcconnell said.
While several Republican senators said they would drop their objections, Cruz let his stand, and more than eight hours later, the Senate voted it down 93-6.
Congress was on track to certify Biden’s win overnight.