Cruz rips Christie after Harvey criticism: He is 'desperate' for media spotlight

Source: The Hill




BY OLIVIA BEAVERS - 08/30/17 12:32 PM EDT

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday accused Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) of being "desperate" for the media spotlight, after the New Jersey lawmaker lashed out at Cruz for “playing politics” with the Hurricane Sandy aid package in 2012.

“I’m sorry that there are politicians who seem really desperate to get their names in the news and are saying whatever they need to do that," Cruz told "Fox & Friends."

Christie's long-standing fight with Cruz over the aid for Sandy has been renewed after record rainfall from Tropical Storm Harvey in Cruz's own state is expected to necessitate massive federal aid.

Cruz slammed Christie for attacking him at a time when over a dozen people have died and thousands have been displaced as a result of the storm, which made landfall in Texas on Friday.


Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/348551-cruz-rips-christie-after-criticism-he-is-desperate-for-media-spotlight

---

Christie: Cruz is a hypocrite over Harvey relief

By LOUIS NELSON 08/30/2017 10:15 AM EDT Updated 08/30/2017 10:53 AM EDT

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday slammed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as a hypocrite for seeking aid for Texas when he was unwilling to support a similar effort in the Northeast in 2012.

Cruz told MSNBC earlier this week that he had voted against the Sandy relief bill because it was “full of pork” and that he had always “enthusiastically supported hurricane relief for Sandy.” Christie, in an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said Cruz had been “playing politics” with his Sandy vote. Asked to play a quick-word association game with Cruz's name, the governor quickly responded "crap."

“He talks about playing politics. That's what he did with people's lives in 2012 and 2013. He was playing politics to make himself try to look like the most conservative guy in town,” the New Jersey governor said. “This is why politics have become so cynical in Washington, is statements like that. He should just stand up now and say ‘you know what? I was wrong. I was wrong in 2012. It was the wrong thing to do and now I hope that the people of New Jersey and New York are willing to let bygones be bygones and vote for relief for Texas.’”

Cruz, who spoke to reporters Wednesday morning at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, currently hosting thousands of evacuees, disputed Christie's accusation and accused the governor of taking advantage of hurricane recovery efforts in Houston to seek the spotlight and lob political attacks.

more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/30/ted-cruz-hurricane-harvey-response-chris-christie-242170