Cruz: ‘I May Have Misspoken’ When I Said I Talked To McCain (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

This post has been updated.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) admitted on Monday that he did not directly speak with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) about holding Armed Services Committee hearings on whether soldiers should be able to carry concealed weapons on military bases.

On Monday evening, McCain mocked Cruz’s claim that the two had spoken about the issue.

“I’d be glad to discuss the issue and see if we need a hearing, but it came as a complete surprise to me that he had been pressing me,” McCain said.

Cruz clarified on Tuesday that he spoke about the issue at Senate Armed Services Committee hearings, but not directly to McCain, the new chair of the committee.

“The question of concealed carry on military bases is an issue I raised repeatedly. I’ve raised it in open hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee — hearings where John McCain was, I believe, present at those hearings,” Cruz said on Fox News. “And I also urged the prior chairman, Carl Levin, in writing, to hold hearings on allowing our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to carry weapons on military bases.”

“I will acknowledge, I may have misspoken in New Hampshire when I said that I had been pressing John McCain, and what I had been pressing is the Armed Services Committee. And John McCain is the new chairman of it,” Cruz continued.

Cruz said he would raise the issue with McCain and keep pressing for hearings about Second Amendment rights on military bases.

“The committee ought to look at, listen to the military’s arguments. The military brass opposes this is,” Cruz said. “I’m a big believer defending Second Amendment rights of everyone including our soldiers.”

After Cruz admitted that he didn’t press McCain directly to pursue hearings, McCain published a tweet calling Cruz a “friend.”

Watch the clip below:

Latest Livewire
61
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Ted has a problem with fabricating reality, or as most people call it, LYING.

  2. “I may have misspoken” = I totally lied, got caught, but won’t admit I totally lied.

    Asshole.

  3. has he admitted that he wasn’t spoken to directly by god yet when he decided to run for President?

  4. Ted, I had an English professor that used to say that the best English is the simplest and most direct.

    So rather than saying, “I may have misspoken,” just say; “I lied”.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

55 more replies

Participants

Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for fgs Avatar for lew Avatar for leftflank Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for krusher Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for teenlaqueefa Avatar for kenstarr Avatar for mantan Avatar for frankly_my_dear Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for theghostofeustacetilley Avatar for darcy Avatar for jcblues Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for bigdaddydrj Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for beattycat Avatar for whatithink

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: