Following the deadly racial violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz called on the Department of Justice to “immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism.”
Seems like a pretty appropriate response to me. But New York Times reporter Eric Lipton thought otherwise. On Sunday, Lipton tweeted that he felt Cruz’s call to action was nothing more than “posturing for 2020”:
Sorry to be cynical, but most of all Rubio and Ted Cruz to me seem mostly to be doing a tremendous job of posturing for 2020.
— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) August 13, 2017
At least Lipton admitted to his cynicism, but this is exactly the sort of reaction we’ve come to expect from the left whenever a Republican tries to do the right thing. Fortunately, Cruz had the perfect retort to Lipton’s criticism:
Gosh, you’re right. Because Nazis & the Klan have such love for Cuban-Americans. If only we worked for a paper that shilled for Stalin…. https://t.co/PBsFqauXq2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 14, 2017
Boom! Here’s a quick history lesson: The New York Times employed a reporter who wrote stories denying the Stalin-imposed famine on the U.S.S.R.
And now the paper wants to try to be morally self-righteous? Please.
Cruz’s response went over well on Twitter:
— Nick Pappas (@NickAPappas) August 14, 2017
Damn, @tedcruz. That was some pic.twitter.com/zDh47nJsLn
— Elliott Hamilton (@ElliottRHams) August 14, 2017
In addition to Deadspin, Ted Cruz owns the NY Times pic.twitter.com/KWLzJSCHwo
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 14, 2017
This isn’t the first time Cruz has one-upped a liberal media outlet on Twitter. Back in January, he did the same to Deadspin.
All joking aside, however, what happened in Charlottesville is unacceptable and Cruz is correct – the Department of Justice absolutely should investigate. While white supremacists and every other group under the sun have every right to protest under the First Amendment, when public demonstrations devolve into violence and actual death, it threatens free speech for us all. Even if you agree that the Confederate monuments in Charlottesville should not be removed (which is how this whole mess started in the first place), it should anger you even more that certain groups of people are irresponsibly and dangerously utilizing their First Amendment rights.
Do you agree with Ted Cruz that the Department of Justice should take action on the violence in Charlottesville? Share your thoughts below!
