In Fundraising Email, Carson Calls On Cruz To Punish Staffers

Ben Carson on Thursday continued to hit Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) presidential campaign for spreading rumors during the Iowa caucuses that Carson was dropping out of the race, calling on the Texas senator to punish staffers in a fundraising email on Thursday evening.

“I call on Senator Cruz to take decisive action at a senior level within his campaign or I fear this culture of destructive behavior will only continue,” Carson wrote in the fundraising email, according to The Hill.

Carson’s email followed reports that members of Cruz’s campaign left two voicemails with Iowa precinct captains telling them to use reports that Carson was suspending his campaign to persuade caucusgoers to vote for Cruz. Both voicemails were left after the Carson campaign had clarified that he was not suspending his campaign after the Iowa caucuses, according to Breitbart.

Cruz was already under fire for an email from the campaign urging Cruz representatives to tell voters that Carson would be dropping out. Carson has accused Cruz of using “dirty tricks” to secure a victory in the Iowa caucus.

The Texas senator has apologized to Carson, but he has maintained that his staffers were simply “passing on news reports.” Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said on Thursday that the voicemails lefts by Cruz staffers “are in line with the reports that were made at that time.” And Cruz himself has said he will not be “scapegoating staff members.”