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| Ted Cruz accuses Trump's 'henchmen' of spreading lies in National Enquirer | Ted Cruz accuses Trump's 'henchmen' of spreading lies in National Enquirer |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| Ted Cruz accused “Donald Trump and his henchmen” of spreading lies about his personal life in a story that appeared in the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid on Wednesday. | Ted Cruz accused “Donald Trump and his henchmen” of spreading lies about his personal life in a story that appeared in the National Enquirer supermarket tabloid on Wednesday. |
| Related: Donald Trump branded a 'coward' by Ted Cruz amid feud over their wives | Related: Donald Trump branded a 'coward' by Ted Cruz amid feud over their wives |
| The story marked the latest in a back and forth between Cruz and Trump where the Republican frontrunner has repeatedly tweeted about the Texas senator’s wife and the tone of the race for the White House has plunged to new depths. | The story marked the latest in a back and forth between Cruz and Trump where the Republican frontrunner has repeatedly tweeted about the Texas senator’s wife and the tone of the race for the White House has plunged to new depths. |
| In the Friday press conference after a campaign event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Cruz used his most heated language yet, saying of his rival “Donald may be a rat but I have no desire to copulate with him” while also accusing Trump of “peddl[ing] sleaze and slime”. | |
| The result is that Cruz, who long called Trump a friend and insisted he would support the Republican nominee in November, started to back away from that pledge. | The result is that Cruz, who long called Trump a friend and insisted he would support the Republican nominee in November, started to back away from that pledge. |
| “I do not make a habit out of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my family,” he told reporters. | “I do not make a habit out of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my family,” he told reporters. |
| In a Facebook post, Cruz made clear that he held the Trump campaign directly responsible for the story. “For Donald J Trump to enlist his friends at the National Enquirer and his political henchmen to do his bidding shows you that there is no low Donald won’t go,” wrote Cruz. | In a Facebook post, Cruz made clear that he held the Trump campaign directly responsible for the story. “For Donald J Trump to enlist his friends at the National Enquirer and his political henchmen to do his bidding shows you that there is no low Donald won’t go,” wrote Cruz. |
| The unsourced story recycled gossip without any evidence that Cruz, a married father of two, had been involved in a series of extramarital affairs. | The unsourced story recycled gossip without any evidence that Cruz, a married father of two, had been involved in a series of extramarital affairs. |
| Asked by the Guardian if the campaign had any comment on the allegations from Cruz that Trump was responsible for the National Enquirer story, spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: “There is absolutely no truth to that.” | Asked by the Guardian if the campaign had any comment on the allegations from Cruz that Trump was responsible for the National Enquirer story, spokeswoman Hope Hicks said: “There is absolutely no truth to that.” |
| In a statement emailed by Hicks, Trump said he had “absolutely nothing to do with” the National Enquirer story. | In a statement emailed by Hicks, Trump said he had “absolutely nothing to do with” the National Enquirer story. |
| Using a nickname he has given Cruz on the campaign trail, Trump added: “Unlike Lyin’ Ted Cruz I do not surround myself with political hacks and henchman and then pretend total innocence. | Using a nickname he has given Cruz on the campaign trail, Trump added: “Unlike Lyin’ Ted Cruz I do not surround myself with political hacks and henchman and then pretend total innocence. |
| “Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about OJ Simpson, John Edwards and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz.” | “Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about OJ Simpson, John Edwards and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz.” |
| Katrina Pierson, one of the women with whom Cruz allegedly had an affair, is a Trump spokeswoman. She denied the story on Twitter. A Trump surrogate brought up the story unprompted in a CNN appearance earlier on Friday. Furthermore, Trump has long been friends with David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer. The only person quoted by name in the article is Roger Stone, a long-time political aide to the billionaire. | Katrina Pierson, one of the women with whom Cruz allegedly had an affair, is a Trump spokeswoman. She denied the story on Twitter. A Trump surrogate brought up the story unprompted in a CNN appearance earlier on Friday. Furthermore, Trump has long been friends with David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer. The only person quoted by name in the article is Roger Stone, a long-time political aide to the billionaire. |
| Trump first brought up Cruz’s wife in a Tuesday night tweet just as polls were closing in Arizona and Utah. He threatened to “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz in retaliation for an anti-Trump Super Pac with no ties to the Cruz campaign running a Facebook ad that featured a partially nude picture of a Trump’s now-wife, Melania, from a GQ photoshoot in 2000. | Trump first brought up Cruz’s wife in a Tuesday night tweet just as polls were closing in Arizona and Utah. He threatened to “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz in retaliation for an anti-Trump Super Pac with no ties to the Cruz campaign running a Facebook ad that featured a partially nude picture of a Trump’s now-wife, Melania, from a GQ photoshoot in 2000. |
| The ad, which was targeted at female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Utah, suggested voters back Cruz. The message, overlying an image of Trump’s wife lying on a fur rug read: “Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, You Could Support Ted Cruz on Tuesday.” | The ad, which was targeted at female members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Utah, suggested voters back Cruz. The message, overlying an image of Trump’s wife lying on a fur rug read: “Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, You Could Support Ted Cruz on Tuesday.” |
| Later that night, Trump went on to retweet a picture of Melania Trump juxtaposed with an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz that was posted by a supporter. The Republican frontrunner suggested in August that his retweets were endorsements. “I retweet for a reason,” he told reporters then. | Later that night, Trump went on to retweet a picture of Melania Trump juxtaposed with an unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz that was posted by a supporter. The Republican frontrunner suggested in August that his retweets were endorsements. “I retweet for a reason,” he told reporters then. |
| Cruz immediately responded on Twitter by saying “Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you’re more of a coward than I thought. #classless.” He went on to invoke the movie The American President in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. “If Donald wants to get in a character fight, he’s better off sticking with me because Heidi is way out of his league,” an almost word-for-word reference to a line from the 1995 movie starring Michael Douglas. | Cruz immediately responded on Twitter by saying “Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you’re more of a coward than I thought. #classless.” He went on to invoke the movie The American President in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. “If Donald wants to get in a character fight, he’s better off sticking with me because Heidi is way out of his league,” an almost word-for-word reference to a line from the 1995 movie starring Michael Douglas. |