Topline
Following his leading role in an effort to overturn the results of the presidential election that contributed to a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week, a large majority of Americans do not trust Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), to protect democracy, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll found.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stands in the House Chamber during a reconvening of a joint session of Congress … [+] on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
Of the 570 adults interviewed, 71% said they trust Cruz “not so much” or “not at all,” while 10% said they trust him “a great deal.”
Cruz was one of the leaders of an effort by a small group of Republican lawmakers to delay Congress’s certification of the Electoral College’s confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the November election.
A violent mob of Trump supporters entered the U.S. Capitol Building last Wednesday as Congress was in the process of certifying the results, forcing the evacuation of both the House and Senate chambers.
When the Capitol was cleared and lawmakers returned, a number of Republicans who had planned to object to the results changed their minds, but Cruz and five other senators did not.
Also facing a harsh backlash is Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), another architect of the plan to object to the tally of electoral votes—both he and Cruz are facing calls for resignation from all sides, including from their colleagues in the Senate.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) told NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that the two lawmakers were “complicit in the big lie” that November’s election results were illegitimate and “will pay a very heavy price” for their actions and inflammatory rhetoric.
Chief Critic
“I don’t know how they can live with themselves,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday, “knowing that people have died because of their words and actions.” Manchin did not say whether he believes Cruz and Hawley should resign.
Crucial Quote
Asked by Houston’s KHOU earlier this week whether he believes he bears any blame for the events that left five people dead on Wednesday, Cruz said, “not remotely.” He added: “What I was doing and what the other senators were doing is what we were elected to do, which is debating matters of great import in the chamber of the United States Senate.”
Tangent
Four major companies—Marriott International, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Commerce Bancshares and Citibank—said Sunday that they will withhold donations from Republican lawmakers who challenged the certification of Biden’s win.
Further Reading
‘I Don’t Know How You Can Live With Yourself’: Hawley, Cruz Increasingly Shunned After Capitol Attack (Forbes)
Objections To Four Swing States’ Electors Fall Flat After Senators Refuse To Participate; Hawley Forces Debate On Pennsylvania (Forbes)
Major Companies Begin Suspending Donations To Republicans Involved In Biden Certification Challenge (Forbes)