Des Moines
Congressman Steve King, national co-chairman for Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign, suggested that Sarah Palin was paid to support Donald Trump. Palin endorsed Trump last month and will appear with Trump at a rally in Iowa today. King told NBC’s Chris Jansing that Palin endorsed Trump over Cruz despite agreeing with Cruz on policy and strongly implied that Palin supported Trump because his “assets and resources” might have made it difficult for her to turn him down.
The explosive charge against the national GOP frontrunner comes just hours before voters will head to precinct locations around the state to caucus. After months of a de facto non-aggression pact between the two leading Republicans, the war of words between Cruz and Trump has escalated dramatically over the past two weeks, with charges and countercharges traded on the debate stage, on the stump and in interviews.
In the interview, King was asked to respond to a video clip of Palin’s appearance on the Today Show. Palin denied that the decision between Trump and Cruz presented her with a difficult choice. “It wasn’t tough. I had supported Ted Cruz in his run for Senate there out of Texas, and when I endorsed him, he was barely a blip on the radar screen down there. I want to keep him in the senate, and I want Donald Trump to be our president.”
Jansing, to King: “Folks like Sarah Palin, yeah, you’re kind of shaking your head. Jerry Falwell Jr., who has been out with him. Why do you think they went the way they did and how much does it hurt you?”
King: Chris, I didn’t hear a reason from Sarah Palin in that. She just said it wasn’t a hard call. I don’t know many people who have been able to say no to Donald Trump. He has a massive amount of assets and resources that he can deploy when it comes time to convince someone. And that has to affect the way people think – not only the plus-ups of the promotion, the limelight, all the resources that are there, but the other side of that.”
Jansing: “You’re saying Sarah Palin didn’t do it out of true support for Donald Trump but self-interest.”
King: “I would say, knowing what I know, that sometimes you never really get down to the heart of hearts. When I see where Sarah Palin has been on policies and issues. I’m confident she’s much more comfortable with Ted Cruz’s issues than Donald Trump.”
A Cruz campaign source says that the campaign has no evidence Trump offered Palin any remuneration for her endorsement and said King was merely speculating.
