"We are approaching a solemn anniversary this week. And it is an anniversary of a violent terrorist attack on the Capitol, where we saw the men and women of law enforcement demonstrate incredible courage, incredible bravery, risk their lives for the Capitol,” Cruz spoke at a Senate Rules Committee oversight hearing Wednesday with Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger discussing Jan. 6 security failures.
"It is also worth asking,” Cruz went on, “What could have prevented the breach of the Capitol? What could have prevented the riot getting as far as it did?" Cruz was one of eight senators to object to Electoral College results on Jan. 6. He notably joined Republican Rep. Paul Gosar in opposing the Arizona Electoral College votes, which prompted a joint session of Congress to break up and debate the objection shortly before rioters breached the building. Cruz at the time did not argue for throwing out the results but for forming an election commission to evaluate claims of voter fraud.
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Cruz has referred to the Jan. 6 riot as a terrorist attack in the past. “No one anticipated a terrorist attack on the United States Capitol,” he said on an episode of his Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast that premiered Jan. 25, 2021.
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He also used the phrasing in a local news interview in the days following the riot and in a May 28, 2021, press statement, declaring he did not support a “politically motivated January 6 Commission.”
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But his use of the phrasing on the eve of the riot anniversary received more attention and angered some on the right. Carlson used his show Wednesday night to criticize Cruz.
“Now, let’s be honest. Everybody who’s conservative appreciates Ted Cruz. We don’t like him, but you gotta appreciate him. He’s legitimately smart, one of the most articulate people to serve in the Congress, maybe the most articulate. He doesn’t use a single word by accident,” Carlson said after playing a clip of Cruz. “Every word Ted Cruz uses is used intentionally. He’s a lawyer. He described Jan. 6 as a ‘violent terrorist attack.’”
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“Of all the things Jan. 6 was, it was definitely not a violent terrorist attack. It wasn’t an insurrection. Was it a riot? Sure. It was not a violent terrorist attack. Sorry,” Carlson said.
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“So why are you telling us that it was Ted Cruz?” Carlson pressed on. “You’re making us think maybe the Republican Party is as worthless as we suspected it was.”