Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins got into a contentious exchange while discussing a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday night. The discussion began with a reaction to the hearing, during which Cruz called on President Trump to designate Antifa — a left-wing extremist group — as a terrorist organization.
While speaking on CNN, Cruz emphasized the importance of cracking down on left-wing terrorism, urging Trump and the Department of Justice to “follow the money. Much of this violence that we’ve seen, it’s not organic. There is real money that is funding it.”
Cruz went on to point to Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, as a clear example of someone radicalized and inspired by left-wing extremism to the point of becoming violent, as evidenced by the slogans on his rifle and bullet casings and various discussions in left-wing groups online.
Things got heated when Collins pushed back, claiming, “We don’t have a motive yet, we don’t know yet.” Cruz immediately retorted, “We don’t have a motive yet? Really? That’s CNN’s position? He just happened to fire the gun in celebration?”
Photo by the Salt Lake Tribune / Contributor via Getty Images
The dispute went on, with Collins claiming that law enforcement has yet to officially attach a specific motive in a legal document and Cruz attacking the distinction as a willful distraction from the fact that Robinson is “a left-wing activist who hated Charlie Kirk.”
In attacking Collins’ argument as misleading, Cruz pointed to a poll showing that 41% of Democrats believed that Charlie Kirk’s killer was a Republican. He pointed to CNN engaging in “misinformation” as part of the reason for this attitude.
When asked if she had seen the poll, Collins did not answer, choosing instead to ask Cruz if he believed that right-wing groups online should be subjected to the same DOJ investigations as left-wing groups.
Cruz responded by saying that “anyone engaged in acts of violence should be prosecuted and go to jail.” He then rebuked CNN for engaging in “both sides-ism,” pointing out that “it is the left that overwhelmingly celebrates this.”
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