‘I Was Frankly Stunned Watching It’: Ted Cruz Recounts Dust Up He Had With Mitch McConnell

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined Glenn Beck for an hour-long interview Monday night where he discussed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s “promise” that he had not made a deal to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

The Export-Import Bank, which was created through executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, focuses on financing and ensuring the purchase of U.S. products. Additionally, the federally-supported institution makes and guarantees loans.

(Steve Pope/Getty Images) 

In a 2014 USA Today column, Cruz described the institution as a “corrupt crony-capitalist fiasco” that sends “huge amounts of assistance” to corporations around the world that are “hostile to our economic and security interests.”

Cruz gave a speech on the floor of the Senate July 24 of this year voicing not only his opposition to the Export-Import Bank, but also laying out what he described to Beck as “flat-out false.”

"The majority leader had looked me in the eyes ... and he had promised explicitly that he had not made a deal to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank," Cruz told Beck.

“I had asked him at the lunch, Mitch, it looked like you made a deal,” the Republican presidential candidate continued. “You’re entitled to make a deal — that’s part of politics. But we’re entitled to ask you, ‘What’s the deal?’”

Cruz went on to say McConnell had publicly promised him there was no deal, but a month later said it became “abundantly apparent” that what he said was untrue.

“I was frankly stunned watching it,” Cruz said. “Because I had gone back to my office and my staff had argued with me at the time, they said, ‘Mitch is lying to you.’ And I said, listen, I can’t base my vote in the Senate on assuming he’s lying — that’s not right.”

Cruz said when it became apparent his staff was right, he decided to give a floor speech laying out the exchange that took place.

“I stood up and I gave a floor speech and I just described, here’s what he promised, here’s his actions — they’re directly contrary.”

“And the amazing thing is, the old bulls in Washington reacted as if I had lit myself on fire,” the Texas senator continued. “[N]obody reacts with any surprise — any astonishment — that the majority leader lied to every Republican senator and the American people — that’s not news. What is shocking is that anyone would say out loud that he in fact lied.”

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