In a column for MSNBC, analyst Zeeshan Aleem suggested that a carefully phrased statement from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), when asked about his relationship with attorney John Eastman, should raise the eyebrows of investigators looking into the Jan 6th insurrection.
Using a report from the Washington Post as a jumping-off point, Aleem noted that the Texas Republican has long-standing ties to Eastman -- going back three decades -- who authored memos for Donald Trump's administration suggesting the results of the 2020 presidential election could be disputed and used to overturn the will of the voters.
According to MSNBC opinion piece, "That raises questions over whether Cruz coordinated directly with the White House on legal strategy designed to undermine the election."
According to the analyst, two things should be setting off warning bells over whether Cruz had a hand in either helping write the memos or provided legal advice.
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Writing, "According to the Post, Cruz and Trump began working on plans to undermine the election two days after Election Day, to the surprise of many of Cruz’s aides. Cruz spoke to Trump directly on the phone, acted as a Trump surrogate spreading 2020 disinformation on Fox News and pitched himself as a legal asset because of his experience working with George W. Bush’s campaign during the recount of the Florida vote in 2000," Aleem noted that, when "Eastman was asked by the Jan. 6 congressional committee about his communication with Cruz, he invoked the Fifth Amendment."
Add to that, when Cruz was pressed for answers about his relationship with Eastman, a spokesperson for the Texas Republican issued a statement Aleem found curious in its wording.
"When asked if he and Eastman had been in contact about challenging the election, Cruz issued a cagey statement that did not rule out the possibility. 'Sen. Cruz has been friends with John Eastman since they clerked together in 1995,' a Cruz spokesperson told the Post. 'To the best of his recollection, he did not read the Eastman memo until months after January 6, when it was publicly reported.'"
According to the columnist, "The main point here is not to indict Cruz," before adding, "Here we have a politician obsessed with keeping his finger on the pulse of the party, who felt that his own presidential prospects would be enriched by trying to overturn an election. More important than Cruz as a self-aggrandizer is Cruz as a signpost of the direction of the party. Cruz is a consummate follower of trends — and he's continually shown us that the Republican Party is sliding rapidly toward outright disdain for democracy."
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