Donald Trump torches 'Teddy' Cruz as their feud reaches new heights
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has responded to Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) most recent attacks with a statement again threatening a lawsuit and calling Cruz a "liar."
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The feud between the two candidates vying for their party's presidential nomination escalated on Wednesday, when Cruz held an extended press conference in which he derided Trump and his other main rival, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), for engaging in "insults and attacks" on the campaign trail.
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But Trump said it was Cruz who was spewing lies on the campaign trail.
%shareLinks-quote="He is a liar and these ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls -- watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz's logo." type="quote" author="Donald Trump" authordesc="GOP Front-Runner" isquoteoftheday="false"%
The mogul added, "If I want to bring a lawsuit it would be legitimate. Likewise, if I want to bring the lawsuit regarding Senator Cruz being a natural born Canadian I will do so. Time will tell, Teddy."
Trump has threatened to sue Cruz over negative ads the Cruz campaign is running in South Carolina and over Cruz's eligibility as a presidential candidate. Trump has taken issue with Cruz's statements about Trump's supposed support for Obamacare and for taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
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Cruz said Wednesday that Trump's campaign sent him a cease-and-desist letter over the ads, demanding Cruz take down one airing in South Carolina which includes a years-old clip of Trump stating his then-support for abortion rights. Cruz challenged Trump to file his lawsuit, saying that he may take on the case himself.
"Even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake," Cruz said. "So Donald, I would encourage you -- if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it is defamation, file the lawsuit. It is a remarkable contention that an ad that plays video of Donald Trump speaking on national television is somehow defamation."
%shareLinks-quote="So Donald, I would encourage you -- if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it is defamation, file the lawsuit." type="quote" author="Sen. Ted Cruz" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday="false"%
Trump has also charged that Cruz might be ineligible for the presidency because he was born in Canada. Cruz was born to an American mother, and despite his place of birth, most legal experts believe he meets the Constitution's requirement that presidents be "natural born" citizens.
Here's the full statement from Trump:
Ted Cruz has already had one of his ads pulled off the air concerning Senator Rubio because it was totally false. Additionally, he was forced to apologize to Dr. Ben Carson for fraudulently stealing his votes in Iowa, and was embarrassed by his phony voter violation form. He is a liar and these ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls — watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz's logo. I am pro-life and I do not support taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood as long as they are performing abortions. I have been clear about my position on this issue for years. I am also a strong advocate of the second amendment and a proud member of the NRA, as are my sons. I will repeal and replace ObamaCare and I would nominate a very conservative Justice to protect our freedoms and conservative values. If I want to bring a lawsuit it would be legitimate. Likewise, if I want to bring the lawsuit regarding Senator Cruz being a natural born Canadian I will do so. Time will tell, Teddy.
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