(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blasted MSNBC’s Katy Tur on Wednesday’s episode of his podcast for acting as the “PR arm of Hezbollah” in her coverage of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.
On Tuesday, Tur asked Israeli spokesman David Mencer if Israel’s promise to attack Hezbollah if it rearms would “go for the other side as well.”
Cruz and his co-host, Ben Ferguson, were stunned that the MSNBC host treated Israel like a terrorist organization in her line of questioning.
Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire—What it Means & Why it Happened Now. @benfergusonshow and I break down the latest news on Verdict. https://t.co/ArsbFqo3bt
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 27, 2024
“That may be the most astonishing question I’ve ever heard a reporter say in my life,” the Texas senator said on Verdict with Ted Cruz.
Cruz criticized what he called an “absurd” question from Tur implying that Israel should not use its army to defend itself as a sovereign nation.
He reminded listeners of the deadly terror attack against Israel by Hamas, which took the lives of roughly 1,200 civilians.
“Well, there is MSNBC being the PR arm of Hezbollah saying, well, wouldn’t it violate it if Israel rearms itself?” he said. “No, Israel has a right to defend itself and to keep the people of Israel safe, and they are not the equivalent as apparently, MSNBC seems to think of the terrorist organization, Hamas and Hezbollah, that target and murder civilians.”
The senator slammed the Biden-Harris administration for trying to bungle Trump’s transition with foreign conflict.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Democrats are trying to tie Israel’s hands, and they’re trying to do it before the Trump administration comes into office,” Cruz said. “And so, what I’m trying to make clear is nothing in this deal ties Israel’s hands to protect itself, to defeat, and kill terrorists.”
This week, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu.
The U.S. should sanction every member of the ICC involved in, and every prosecutor who attempts to enforce, this antisemitic arrest warrant.https://t.co/ePO84cLNM9 pic.twitter.com/2hsGyR6AlW
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 22, 2024
He praised Israel for fiercely defending itself against terrorism despite wavering support from the Democrats in the U.S.
“Understand, literally, on the day of October 7, the Biden administration was saying publicly, ‘Do not retaliate militarily.’ They have been saying every day since October 7, happened, ‘Stop killing terrorists,’” Cruz added. “And Israel, to its credit, and I got to say, the Prime Minister, spokesman there that I think did a fantastic job of articulating that Israel is going to defend itself, whether or not Democrats in Washington are willing to support it.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.