During a Thursday appearance on right-wing propaganda outlet NewsMax, Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the first televised hearing of the U.S. House's Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, calling it "theater" and a sham.
"It's designed to be theater, right down to they brought in a Hollywood producer," Cruz opined to NewsMax. "This is ... it's not unlike watching the Democratic National Convention, which is a slick, propaganda machine."
The Texas Republican continued his diatribe: "That's what this hearing is going to be, and it is sadly going to have the warm and enthusiastic embrace of the corrupt corporate media. You know, the New York Times just observed that this hearing is a chance for Democrats to change the midterm narrative. Well, for once, the New York Times accidentally reported the truth, because they admitted this is all about politics. This is a campaign ad."
Never mind that the bipartisan panel has overseen thousands of hours of testimony, tens of thousands of documents and interviews with roughly 1,000 different people.The January 6th Committee hearings are all political theater. pic.twitter.com/ZDaReaAbbG
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 9, 2022
Never mind that the deadly Capitol insurrection marked the first time in U.S. history that a president refused to accept a peaceful transfer of power. Or that Thursday night's testimony included chilling new details about how extremist groups worked together to stage the attempted coup and about then-President Donald Trump's unwillingness to listen as advisors told him his claims of a stolen election were lies.
No, all that aside, Cruz's brand is all about the political theater he appeared on NewsMax to decry. It's a brand built not on legislative accomplishments, looking out for constituents' interests or doing what's right for the country. He's the Washington equivalent of an Internet troll, a shit-swimming bottom feeder.
This is the lawmaker who regularly spends much of his day getting into pointless pissing matches with Hollywood celebrities to prove his ownership of the libs.
This is the lawmaker who played a starring role in the 2013 government shutdown in an and absurd and ultimately futile attempt to defund Obamacare.
This is the lawmaker who spent the weeks leading up to Jan. 6 egging on a potentially violent protest by spreading false claims that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud — and who even voted against certifying the results after the Capitol attack.
We could go on, but what would be the fucking point?
If Cruz thinks Congress' job doesn't entail investigating one of the darkest chapters in U.S. Democracy, perhaps his best course of reaction would be to do the nation a service and resign his seat in protest.
After all, that would certainly deliver his point with dramatic flair.
Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.