Watch PBS Panel of Journalists Call Ted Cruz and His Father 'Satanic

During Friday's episode of "PBS NewsHour," New York Times columnist David Brooks and Mother Jones Washington Bureau Chief David Corn referred to presidential hopeful Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his father as "satanic."

The exchange took place as host Judy Woodruff asked Brooks about the latest sniping between GOP candidates Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Cruz.

"So, what’s going on over there, or is anybody making any headway among that group," she asked.

Brooks contended that Cruz is "making headway" as Ben Carson's campaign is "collapsing," and GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump may have "ceilinged out."

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"Cruz is somehow beginning to get some momentum from Iowa and elsewhere," Brooks said. "And so people are either mimicking him, which Rubio is doing a little by adopting some of the dark and satanic tones that Cruz has..."

When asked to clarify his remarks by Woodruff, Brooks said Cruz's speeches include "combative," "angry" and "apocalyptic" rhetoric.

"It is an ugly world in Ted Cruz's world," he said.

Corn also jumped into the conversation as he contended that Cruz's father, a traveling pastor,  is also "satanic."

"Well, actually, if you go to a speech from his dad, who is a pastor, evangelical, Rafael Cruz, it actually is satanic. He — I watched a speech in which he said Satan was behind the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage," Corn said.

After Corn's remarks, Brooks said he had to "withdraw the satanic of Ted Cruz" but reiterated that the Texas senator's rhetoric was "combative," "dark" and "harsh."

Brooks also contrasted that discourse to Rubio's — who Brooks said "has been running the youthful optimism campaign."

Watch the clip below from PBS.

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