Leading up to his presidential run in 2016, Sen. Ted Cruz wrote a book called, “A Time For Truth”. In it, he described the workings of the politicians in Washington, D.C. as strategically dishonest. Not just the Democrats, mind you, but the leadership of his own Republican Party as well.
We all knew that what he described happening in Washington was true. These conniving, establishment politicians were corruptly working against the best interests of the Republic.
Those of us who were paying most attention to things hailed Cruz for his willingness to stand up against all of it, including his own party, and expose it all. Of course, everyone in Washington, and especially his fellow Republican Senators despised him for it.
On the other side, the Democrats hated Cruz because of his strong belief in the Constitution and the principles it was based on. Even worse, his immense knowledge of all of the intricacies of it and the ability to clearly articulate them so people could understand.
These are the reasons that Cruz came so close to becoming President. These are the reasons that so many of us so strongly respected and supported him.
Fast forward to the Cruz that we have today. The Cruz that hesitates to give his opinion on Constitutional issues. The Cruz that is extremely measured in his responses to everything controversial that might put a bad light on his Party or on the President, even though the corruption and dishonesty in Washington by the Republican Party and the Republican President has increased exponentially.
A time for truth is no more.
In a previous editorial, I described how Cruz has lost his unique selling proposition (USP). All of that still applies, but over the past couple of weeks, it seems that he has gone even further and is now condoning, both explicitly and implicitly, President Trump’s abuse of power.
I’ll provide two examples…
First, there is Trump’s pardon of Dinesh D’Souza:
Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018
There is no legitimate reason for this pardon. It was obviously a purely political, favor-granting action. Dinesh is a huge Trump sycophant and apologist, and now we know why. There is no question whether Dinesh did the crime…it’s not even disputed and he pled guilty to it. The sentence given to him was not even the maximum sentence he could have received, so the notion that “he was treated very unfairly”, as Trump claims, is nonsense. You can claim that he was treated more severely than others have been for similar offenses and even suspect that it was done for political reasons, but that is still speculation and the results still fall within the stated guidelines of the consequences for the offense. So, he served his sentence.
What was the legitimate rationale, then, for the pardon?
It seems to me that it was a favor provided to Dinesh, with a wink and a nod that he would continue to write about and talk about Trump very favorably. Am I speculating on that? Sure, but it is based on observation of Trump and how he awards those who treat him well and I have heard no other reasonable justification for the pardon. In my opinion, that is a clear abuse of power and is not what was intended with the pardon power.
Sen. Cruz weighs in:
Bravo! @realDonaldTrump Dinesh was the subject of a political prosecution, brazenly targeted by the Obama administration bc of his political views. And he’s a powerful voice for freedom, systematically dismantling the lies of the Left—which is why they hate him. This is Justice. https://t.co/cGHzcgwSnK
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 31, 2018
This is Cruz explicitly condoning that abuse of power. He even makes it political by stating that Dinesh is “a powerful voice for freedom, systematically dismantling the lies of the Left—which is why they hate him.” There is nothing in Cruz’s explanation of why this was a proper pardon other than the speculation of the prosecution being political. Even if there was political aspects to it, it does not negate the undeniable fact that Dinesh admittedly did the crime for which he was prosecuted for. Justice demands that he pay for that crime. Pardoning him for political purposes, Ted, is not “Justice.”
Come to find out, it has been reported that Cruz had actually previously met with Dinesh and told him that he would lobby on Dinesh’s behalf for Trump to provide the pardon. It seems that Cruz wants in on the positive treatment from Dinesh. Dinesh’s wife even personally thanked Cruz:
I want to thank @realDonaldTrump for giving my husband a pardon but I particularly want to thank @SenTedCruz for putting it on his radar and helping make it happen! So grateful! #DineshDsouzaPardon
— Debbie D’Souza (@Debber66) May 31, 2018
The second example is the latest dust-up from Cruz’s handling of the “can a President pardon himself” question. AlienMotives covered this well in an earlier post this morning on TheNewsBlender, The Sound Of Silence, 2018 Edition.
Those of us who have been following Cruz very carefully since his first campaign for Senate, as well as read his book, “A Time For Truth”, and watched him in numerous interviews and speeches, know all too well that when anything concerning the Constitution is asked of Cruz, he is all too ready with a full and articulate response to it. To delay and demur on the question was very telling. This was Cruz implicitly condoning Trump’s suggested and potential abuse of power.
Cruz is fully aware that one of the fundamental, foundational principles that this Republic was built upon was that no man is above the law. For him to not have stated that immediately upon being asked if a President can pardon himself, regardless of whether the Constitution technically prevents it or not, is, plain and simple, not the Ted Cruz that I admired and respected.
It is clear to me that we have now, again, come to “a time for truth”:
The Ted Cruz of today is not the Ted Cruz of 3 years ago.
That is the sad truth, as much as it pains me to state it.
It is clear to me that he has decided that his previous efforts at exposing the corruption of the establishment and fully standing for the principles of the Constitution simply did not work. It is clear to me that his words and actions over the past year or so have been nothing but calculated political rehtoric aimed solely at reelection.
Just like any other politician.
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