Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said it had been a “mistake” for him to call the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol a “terrorist attack” after he received pushback from supporters of former President Trump.
During an appearance on Fox News “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Cruz told Carlson that what he said the day prior was “sloppy” and “frankly dumb,” adding that people were misunderstanding what he was trying to say.
“It was a mistake to say that yesterday and the reason is what you just said, which is we’ve now had a year of Democrats in the media twisting words and trying to say that all of us are terrorists, trying to say you’re a terrorist, I’m a terrorist,” Cruz told Carlson.
In a Twitter thread, Cruz explained that he had made the remark about terrorism regarding only the people who attacked police officers in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
During a Senate Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday, Cruz called the Capitol insurrection a “violent terrorist attack,” according to Newsweek.
“We are approaching a solemn anniversary this week,” Cruz said. “And it is an anniversary of a violent terrorist attack on the Capitol, where we saw the men and women of law enforcement demonstrate incredible courage, incredible bravery, risk their lives to defend the men and women who served in this Capitol.”
Cruz’s comments drew criticism from several conservative figures, including former Trump White House advisor Sebastian Gorka and conservative commentator John Cardillo.
“I’m so done with Ted Cruz,” Gorka said in a tweet, before referencing Trump’s decision an appearance that was scheduled to take place on Thursday. “What are the odds he’s the Senator who told President Trump not to speak tomorrow?”
Cruz’s remarks come on the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, when a mass of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.