During an appearance on Fox News’ MediaBuzz on Sunday, Senator Ted Cruz blasted the liberal media for going easy on Hillary Clinton despite the numerous scandals surrounding her.
Speaking to host Howard Kurtz, Cruz accused the media of being “docile” towards Hillary and if “any Republican did what she’s doing right now” the press would be obsessing over it on a daily basis.
Kurtz did his best to defend the press and noted how they “investigated her on the e-mail server, on Clinton Foundation, on speaking fees, I would say she's not gotten an easy ride. You might say that she may get an easier ride in the future.” Cruz shot back and explained that given the laundry list of issues surrounding Mrs. Clinton there are no criminal investigations against her.
Once again the MediaBuzz host defended the media and argued that the lack of criminal investigations against the Democrat wasn’t “the press’ fault” which Cruz flatly rejected:
It absolutely is the press’ fault. Let's invert this. Let’s say a Republican were president and let’s say it were a Republican who had admitted to conduct that on its face violates federal law and may well violate criminal statutes. The press would be in an outrage. Why hasn't the Department of Justice begun investigating?... If this were a Republican, every day on every Sunday show, there would be a special prosecutor watch. And yet the press quietly says it's just the Clintons being the Clintons.
Earlier in the interview, Cruz spoke the troubling state of journalism especially because “the mainstream media is not fair and impartial” and have “served...as the praetorian guard, protecting Barack Obama and this presidency.” The Republican then predicted that “no one is more ready for Hillary than the mainstream media.”
Once again, Kurtz did his best to stand up for the media and insisted that “the relationship between Hillary Clinton and the press corps has not been that great” but Cruz explained that Republicans should never expect the liberal media to be friendly them:
The media will go after any Republican. It's one of the things where you see some Washington Republicans who think that the media are going to be friendly, are going to be nice. You have to understand that these are folks by in large with a partisan agenda.
And so you’ve got to go and explain your views with a smile but be willing to go and make the case when they come after you because they will come after you. And there are too many Republicans who when the media comes after them they're not prepared.
See relevant transcript below.
Fox News’ MediaBuzz
June 28, 2015
HOWARD KURTZ: I’ve heard you say that the media stereotype Republicans as either being stupid or evil but there's a new category for you which is crazy. That's a heavy pretty charge. Are you saying this is true of all journalists, many journalists, most journalists?
TED CRUZ: It's true of an awful lot. You know, look, the mainstream media is not fair and impartial. They have served, I believe, as the praetorian guard, protecting Barack Obama and this presidency. And I think no one is more ready for Hillary than the mainstream media.
KURTZ: Actually, the relationship between Hillary Clinton and the press corps has not been that great. But if that's true and if you think that most mainstream media give a tougher time to Republicans, them that would seem to be a big disadvantage for you and you spend a lot of time talking to these so-called liberal outlets.
CRUZ: Oh sure. But look, the media will go after any Republican. It's one of the things where you see some Washington Republicans who think that the media are going to be friendly, are going to be nice. You have to understand that these are folks by in large with a partisan agenda. And so you’ve got to go and explain your views with a smile but be willing to go and make the case when they come after you because they will come after you. And there are too many Republicans who when the media comes after them they're not prepared.
KURTZ: Are you saying that up until now Hillary Clinton has had an easy time from the press?
CRUZ: Oh absolutely. If any Republican did what she's doing right now, she doesn't take any press interviews and the press is basically pretty docile. If you look –
KURTZ: The press has investigated her on the e-mail server, on Clinton Foundation, on speaking fees, I would say she's not gotten an easy ride. You might say that she may get an easier ride in the future.
CRUZ: So Howard, how many criminal investigations are ongoing into Hillary Clinton right now?
KURTZ: You can answer the question.
CRUZ: Look, to the best of my knowledge none.
KURTZ: But that’s not the press' fault.
CRUZ: It absolutely is the press’ fault. Let's invert this. Let’s say a Republican were president and let’s say it were a Republican who had admitted to conduct that on its face violates federal law and may well violate criminal statutes. The press would be in an outrage. Why hasn't the Department of Justice begun investigating? Look, she was the sitting Secretary of State and she received millions of dollars from foreign nations, number one, directly into her foundation and number two, even more troubling, millions of dollars from foreign nations paid to her husband into what was presumably their joint checking account while she is sitting Secretary of State.
Now, that would on its face seem to violate federal laws if not federal criminal laws and what does it say, number one, about how partisan the Obama Justice Department is that nobody thinks there’s any prayer either the Holder Justice Department or the Lynch Justice Department would even begin to investigate if she’d violated the law but also that the press is sitting quietly. If this were a Republican, every day on every Sunday show, there would be a special prosecutor watch. And yet the press quietly says it's just the Clintons being the Clintons.
