A spokeswoman for Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) presidential campaign repeatedly dodged questions Thursday about whether the campaign would support a ban on Muslims coming to America.
CNN’s Kate Bolduan asked spokeswoman Alice Stewart how Cruz’s call for police to “patrol and secure” Muslim neighborhoods in the wake of deadly bombings in Brussels was any different from Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country.
“How is this not some sort of a religious test?” Bolduan asked.
Stewart said Cruz’s proposal addressed “radical islamic terrorism” and “radical elements.”
“He’s talking about patrolling and securing Muslim neighborhoods,” Bolduan countered. “Those were his words.”
Cruz himself attempted to clarify his statement earlier this week, saying his proposal “does not mean targeting Muslims, it means targeting radical Islamic terrorism.” President Barack Obama later called the idea “wrong and un-American” and a spokesman for the New York City Police Department called it “foolish.”
Stewart argued Cruz was coming up with “new ways and creative ways to fight” the Islamic State terror group.
“As this problem grows and every day we turn on the television and see more and more cases of ISIS growing and metastasizing, it’s only smart for law enforcement on the local state and federal level to come up with new ways and creative ways to fight this,” she said.
Bolduan asked a second time if Cruz would support a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
“I’m specifically talking about radical islamic terrorism, radical elements of this group and identifying it at the source, increasing the law enforcement presence, and having a visible presence,” Stewart said. “It works when we’re talking about drug and gang activity, and it certainly will work in this case.”
Bolduan pressed a third time: “So does he support a ban on Muslims entering the country along those same lines now?”
“We’re not talking about that,” Stewart replied. “We’re talking about increasing the law enforcement presence in neighborhoods when we see problem spots and making sure that this doesn’t grow in neighborhoods. That’s simply what he’s talking about.”
Stewart then declined to name specific neighborhoods or areas that would be targeted under Cruz’s plan.
It is not targeting Muslims. Instead, it is simply picking up every Muslim and shaking him a little to see if he makes a noise like a radical islamic terrorist. Different thing entirely.
Lawrence O’Donnell had a great take on this last night: under what authority does the President have the power to direct police to do anything?
Cruz is all bully and braggadocio; intelligence wielded for radical, Dominionist purposes. it’s only because Trump is in the race that Cruz seems slightly less than fully bat-crazy barking mad.
Translation: Don’t make me answer the question I don’t want to answer. Look over here---->
Cruz only wants to target “radical Islamic terrorists.”
If we could pick out only those Muslims who are RITs we wouldn’t need the patrols. We’d just pick them up.
What a maroon.
I saw this this morning. It was painful to watch.
I mean where the hell are these “growing and metastasizing” ISIS hot spots IN THE UNITED STATES that she is referring to? Does Cruz really believe that there are such neighborhoods in the United States that are being totally ignored, and if so, shouldn’t he inform the FBI?
Yeah, it works because it is harder to commit street level crime with the police cruising around. Do they think there are ISIS operatives standing on street corners recruiting ISIS members and selling bombs? Really?
The level of derp here is just amazing.