U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) explained to the Texas Republican National Convention delegation his decision not to endorse Donald Trump.
ABC News had some excerpts from his speech on video:
“I can tell you last night when I addressed the convention that I addressed the convention because Donald Trump asked me to. And when Donald asked me to he didn’t ask me to endorse, and indeed three days ago when I talked on the phone with him I told him, ‘I’m not going to endorse you,” Cruz stated.
Someone from the crowd asked why not?
“I will tell you when I stood on that debate stage and when they asked every candidate there ‘if you don’t win will you support the nominee?’ I raised my hand, and I raised my hand enthusiastically with full intention of doing exactly that. And I’ll tell you the day that pledge was abrogated, the day that was abrogated was the day this became personal and I said at the time, and I’m not going to get into criticizing or attacking Donald Trump, but I’ll give you this response. I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and who attack my father.” Cruz said.
“And that pledge was not a blanket commitment that you go and slander and attack Heidi that I’m nonetheless going to come like a servile puppy dog and say thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father,” Cruz added.
He received applause from many of the delegates in the room, but apparently a Trump supporter was mocking him in the back of the room.
“And I will note, I will note sir, you’re making crying signs in the back. I will note sir that you might have a similar view if someone were attacking your wife. In fact, I hope you would. I hope you would,” Cruz responded.
ABC News then had this excerpt on Twitter. Cruz was discussing being booed last night.
.@tedcruz: If Republicans can't vote their consciences, then "we don't deserve to win" https://t.co/WfvfEdoIRq https://t.co/Oo7paPQHEc
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) July 21, 2016
“What does it say, when you stand up and say ‘vote your conscience’ and rabid supporters of our nominee begin screaming ‘what a horrible thing to say!’ If we can’t make the case to the American people that voting for our parties nominee is consistent with voting your conscience, is consistent with defending freedom and being faithful to the Constitution then we are not going to win and we don’t deserve to win,” Cruz stated.