Bill O'Reilly Confronts Mike Huckabee Over Controversy Surrounding Cruz's 'Tithing' History: 'Seems Like You're Casting Aspersions on Him

Fox New host Bill O'Reilly confronted Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee on Thursday night over critical comments that the candidate made about Ted Cruz and his history of tithing and charitable giving.

O'Reilly questioned whether Huckabee has been too critical of Cruz, with the candidate pushing back and defending himself after a BuzzFeed story in which he was quoted saying that "it’s hard to say God is first in your life if he’s last in your budget."

"I was asked a question generally and I said, 'I don't think you can put God last in your budget if you claim that he's first in your life," Huckabee told O'Reilly. "Christian stewardship is something that I believe in."

He also said that he's not sure he's been too "critical" of Cruz per se, but that people who claim to be consistent must also act as such.

"Do you think Cruz is a Christian to be emulated?" O'Reilly asked, also going on to question whether Cruz is being "phony" when it comes to charitable giving and his faith. "It seems like you're casting aspersions on him."

Huckabee responded, "I think it's something he needs to answer. What are his parameters of stewardship?"

Watch the segment below:

As TheBlaze previously reported, some critics are taking aim at Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s “tithing” history, claiming that he contributed less than 1 percent of his income to charitable causes between 2006 and 2010 — much less than the 10 percent that is embraced as the standard by many Christians.

A new evangelical group called Americans United For Values is slamming Cruz in a 60-second radio ad, questioning the Texas senator’s authenticity and dubbing him a “phony.” The spot comes as the state’s caucuses are just two weeks away, according to Politico.

Huckabee, too, has commented on the story.

“I just think it’s hard to say God is first in your life if he’s last in your budget. If I can’t trust God with a dime out of each dollar that I earn, then I’m not sure how I can tell him that I trust him with my whole life,” he told BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins. “To me, it’s a validation of a person’s stewardship and whether they put God first in their life, not just in their political endeavors.”

(H/T: Mediaite)

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