In New Hampshire, Marco Rubio Slams Ted Cruz on Failure to ‘Lead’

“The Washington establishment very much wants to see a cage match between Donald Trump and me”, said Cruz in a recent GOP debate.

If Cruz’s position was unclear in 2013, he’s clarified it since, saying during Tuesday night’s debate that he hasn’t and “doesn’t intend” to support a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

Ted Cruz tried to regain the offensive Friday in his escalating fight with Marco Rubio, opening a new front over Rubio’s poor Senate attendance record and trying his best to shift scrutiny from his history on immigration to Rubio’s. “He’s the one that supports a 500-percent increase in guest workers into the United States, and he’s the one that supported legalization and legalizing people that are in the country illegally”. Cruz said his amendment called the “bluff” of the authors of the bill and “laid naked the partisanship, the hypocrisy and the lies”. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been locked in a battle with Cruz over the Republican presidential nomination, also said Thursday that he opposes the spending bill. One of them, Jacob Nordvall, said he’ll stick by Cruz no matter what opponents throw at him between now and the start of voting in February.

“It’s a great way to make sure we’re reaching out and touching as many people as possible”, said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier.

“I oppose amnesty. I oppose citizenship”.

Cruz said that the amendment he offered in 2013 was a “poison pill” meant to expose those behind the “Gang of Eight” bill who, he said, were angling for amnesty above all other forms of immigration reform.

“I think his hope was once he got into the general election to then start talking about legalization as a way to attract more voters”, Rubio said. And that is: “I will wake up every day, and spend every second, minute, hour, day, month, and year in the presidency doing everything I can to keep you safe”.

“People like to talk about, ‘I made this promise, that promise, the other promise, ‘” he said later. “Those decisions have consequences”.

A staunch conservative, Cruz said his stance on things like this budget deal endear him to his supporters, are fueling his rise and generating attacks from within his party.

“No, it did not say it would have legal status”, Cruz told a skeptical Van Susteren, who repeatedly charged that Cruz would have done just that.