Ted Cruz fires back after Liz Cheney declares him 'unfit' for office: 'Soon-to-be-former Rep. Liz Cheney'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) slapped back at Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Monday after the soon-to-be former congresswoman declared that Cruz and other Republican lawmakers are "unfit" for office.

What did Cheney say?

During an interview that aired Sunday on ABC News' "This Week," Cheney indicated that she could not support Republicans like Cruz or Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) because they have made themselves "unfit" for public service.

"When you look at somebody like Josh Hawley or somebody like Ted Cruz, both of whom know better — both of whom know exactly what the role of Congress is in terms of our constitutional obligations with respect to presidential elections — and yet, both of whom took steps that fundamentally threatened the constitutional order and structure in the aftermath of the last election," Cheney said.

"In my view, they both have made themselves unfit for future office," she charged.

How did Cruz respond?

In a statement provided to TheBlaze, a spokesman for Cruz said the Texas senator is wishing Cheney well on her 2024 presidential campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination.

"Sen. Cruz doesn't need or want soon-to-be-former Rep. Liz Cheney's endorsement, and he wishes her the best of luck in the 2024 Democrat presidential primary," the statement said.

Anything else?

Cheney also took shots at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, responding to his prediction that he will become House speaker after the 2022 midterm elections.

"My views about Kevin McCarthy are very clear. The speaker of the House is the second in line for the presidency. It requires somebody who understands and recognizes their duty, their oath, their obligation," Cheney said. "And he's been completely unfaithful to the Constitution and demonstrated a total lack of understanding of the significance and the importance of the role of speaker.

"So I don't believe he should be speaker of the House," she declared.

McCarthy's office did not return multiple requests for a response.

However, last week a McCarthy aide used the words of Cheney's father — former Vice President Dick Cheney — to diminish her criticism.

As Fox News reported, the aide pointed to an "ironic quote from her dad," which he made in 1976 as campaign manager for then-President Gerald Ford's presidential campaign.

"Principle is OK up to a certain point, but principle doesn't do any good if you lose," Dick Cheney said at the time.