Ted Cruz rails against left-wing attacks on justices
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joins 'Hannity' to sound off on the Kavanaugh assassination attempt in Maryland and the January 6 nationally televised hearing on Thursday.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, condemned years worth of Democrats' incendiary political rhetoric, telling "Hannity" it helped result in a "lunatic" allegedly attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Nicholas John Roske appeared in a Maryland courtroom Wednesday after allegedly telling law enforcement he intended to kill Kavanaugh. Roske reportedly was upset the high bench may overturn Roe v. Wade and relegate abortion regulation to state governments.
"The Left is angry and the rhetoric that comes from their political leaders, from the radical extreme, is getting more and more heightened," Cruz said. "And the problem is what we saw early this morning with the lunatic that came to murder Justice Kavanaugh."
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Rep. Maxine Waters. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)
Cruz said Roske allegedly "follow[ed] through on deranged rhetoric from elected Democrats," pointing to Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., calling for supporters to confront Republicans at "gasoline stations" and the like.
He also condemned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for calling out Kavanaugh and threatening that they will "pay the price" for "releas[ing] the whirlwind."
"You won't know what hit you," he said in 2020.
Cruz also faulted the Biden administration for "encouraging" illegal protests in front of justices' Maryland and Virginia residences.
He cited former Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying in May that the president supports peaceful protests at judges' homes following the Roe leak.
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Sen. Chuck Schumer. (Elizabeth Frantz/Pool/AP)
"It is a crime — it is a felony to protest outside a judge's home while a judge is considering a case," Cruz said.
"You have Joe Biden's White House urging people to commit felonies. And we're seeing the effect of their rhetoric and it's dangerous."
U.S. Code 18, Section 1507 prohibits individuals "with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court… or residence."
The penalty prescribed by the 1950 law is a fine and/or up to one year in prison.
"The radical Left hates their political opponents and they condone violence as a means of getting what they want," Cruz concluded.
In a joint letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for protesters' prosecutions.