Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign described President Obama’s choice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court as a deal Donald Trump would make as president.
Obama announced the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland on Wednesday, which the Cruz campaign met with disapproval and a rhetorical jab at Trump.
“Merrick Garland is exactly the type of Supreme Court nominee you get when you make deals in Washington, D.C.,” the Cruz campaign said in a statement. “A so-called ‘moderate’ Democrat nominee is precisely the kind of deal that Donald Trump has told us he would make — someone who would rule along with other liberals on the bench like Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor.”
“Make no mistake, if Garland were confirmed, he would side predictably with President Obama on critical issues such as undermining the Second Amendment, legalizing partial-birth abortion, and propping up overreaching bureaucratic agencies like the EPA and the IRS,” the statement continued. “We cannot afford to lose the Supreme Court for generations to come by nominating or confirming someone that a dealmaker like Donald Trump would support. Washington dealmakers cannot be trusted with such crucial lifetime appointments.”
The campaign’s statement also commended Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley for “holding the line” in opposition to Obama.
Cruz is in his home state of Texas and does not have any public events scheduled on Wednesday or Thursday. His campaign did not share details regarding when he would return to the trail.
