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- Senator Cruz sparred with reporters over the leak of the SCOTUS draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
- The Texas Republican continues to suggest that the culprit was likely a “left-wing law clerk.”
- Chief Justice Roberts earlier this week directed the marshal to launch an internal probe into the leak.
Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday sparred with reporters on Capitol Hill over who leaked the Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, with the conservative lawmaker alleging that a “left-wing law clerk” was the culprit.
During the conversation, the Texas Republican leaned on earlier theories that he espoused while on television earlier this week, where he told Fox Business host Stuart Varney that “some left-wing presumably law clerk wanted to put political pressure on the five justices” that made up the majority in the far-reaching draft decision paving the way for a multitude of states to outlaw abortion.
Cruz said at the time that “if that left-wing law clerk succeeds” in convincing any of the justices to change their final vote — which is not expected until the summer — then it would be “the most grotesque politicization of the Supreme Court in the history of our nation.”
Despite Cruz’s inability to verify the identity of the culprit, he has continued to state that it was a liberal individual.
The back-and-forth over the issue continued on Friday, where Cruz contended that the intent of the leak was clear.
“Senator, why do you think you know this was a liberal clerk who leaked this? Do you have information that suggests that?” a reporter asked Cruz, which was captured on video.
He responded: “Because I’m not a moron. Because I live on planet Earth … because this is obviously an attempt from someone who is unhappy about the direction the court is going, to put political pressure on the justices to change their outcome. That is the only reason this gets leaked, and you know that. Come on, you’re a reporter in Washington, DC.”
—The Hill (@thehill) May 6, 2022
The reporter then suggested that one of the justices may have changed their views since the draft decision — with a conservative potentially leaking the document because “they supported the original decision” and want “to lock them back in.”
“That’s a completely reasonable scenario, isn’t it?” the reporter asked Cruz.
The senator seemingly mocked such a scenario: “I find that ludicrous. But if it’s the case, maybe you’ll win a Pulitzer (Prize) for that.”
The reporter continued to ask for proof of the identity of the culprit.
“Well you’re saying you have no evidence,” the reporter told Cruz.
“I think it’s obvious what’s going on here. And we’ve all seen leaks often enough in this town, just not at the Supreme Court,” the senator responded.
Cruz went on to say that he wanted to see the leaker “prosecuted” and felt that the individual “should go to jail for a very long time.”
Chief Justice John Roberts — who earlier this week directed the marshal of the Supreme Court to launch an investigation into the leak — said on Thursday that the incident was “absolutely appalling.”
Since the draft opinion was published by Politico, the revelation has rocked the country, amplifying fissures on the subject from Democratic congressional leaders and left-leaning organizations who want to codify Roe into law to the 2024 Republican presidential aspirants and grassroots activists who have fought to eliminate the procedure for years.
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