Chuck Todd gave Ted Cruz more than he expected as he did not get the normal treatment he was used to on Meet The Press. He kept Cruz off balance for the entire interview.
Here are some examples of Chuck Todd’s challenging Ted Cruz at every turn.
Chuck Todd went toe to toe with Ted Cruz
Chuck Todd was uncharacteristically but necessarily combative in this interview.
“And at the end of the day, Chairman Nadler doesn’t want to talk about any of that,” Ted Cruz lied. “He doesn’t want to talk about the substance. You know, it was really striking, listening to his comments. At one point, he said, “Well, there’s no crime.” And you know what? He’s right. There is no crime.
Todd did not allow the lie to stand.
“No, he was talking about the president’s lawyer, not about the president. But go ahead,” Todd interjected. “Don’t take him out of context on that.”
Chuck Todd later interrupted Cruz to correct the lies the Republicans have been spinning on impeachment.
“Senator, well wait a minute, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Chuck Todd forcefully interjected. “Senator, that is exactly why the impeachment was written into the constitution. That’s exactly why the phrase, “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” is in there. Because they did it before they even wrote our laws, sir. Before we had our, so how do you know, how do you, you’re saying that. That is not that’s exactly the opposite of what is true.”
Chuck Todd was not done with Ted Cruz. He asked him if he believed Ukraine was involved in rigging the American election. Ted Cruz gave the standard GOP answer insinuating they were. Todd used the answer to both embarrass and lambast Ted.
“Look this is, Senator, this sort of strikes me as odd,” an incredulous Todd responded. “Because you went through a primary campaign with this president. He launched a birtherism campaign against you. He went after your faith. He threatened to, quote, “spill the beans,” about your wife about something. He pushed a National Enquirer, story, which we now know he had a real relationship with the editors of the National Enquirer .”
“And Chuck, I appreciate you dragging up all that garbage,” a frazzled Ted Cruz responded. “That’s very kind of you, go ahead. “
“No, but Senator is it — let me ask you this,” an assertive Todd continued. “Is it not possible that this president is capable of creating a false narrative about somebody, in order to help him, politically?
By then Cruz was into incoherent babble. At the interview’s closing, Cruz did not even respond to Todd thanking him for the interview.
I do not give Chuck Todd kudos often. Here, it is well deserved.