Cruz Blasts Stelter's Partisan Double Standard After Getting Mocked for Deleting Tweet
Sen. Ted Cruz absolutely shredded CNN’s Brian Stelter this week over a tweet the Texas Republican shared and then deleted.
Generally, when one posts and deletes something on social media, it is because they find themselves on the defensive end regarding something they chose to share.
That wasn’t the case for Cruz, who turned jeering from CNN’s Stelter over a deleted tweet into a referendum on not only CNN, but the broader establishment media.
Cruz retweeted a viral image Monday that purported to show Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signing a bill that would fine residents $1,000 for failing to adhere to statewide social-distancing guidelines.
In the image, Whitmer is seated in close proximity to about 10 other individuals, meaning that every person in the photo was hypothetically guilty of violating the order.
“As I count it, that’s $11k right there….” Cruz wrote in the post.
The only problem: The image was not from the bill’s signing and was actually taken in 2019, as Whitmer pointed out in a snarky post.
Hello Senator! This photo is from January of 2019, and is being misused to spread fear and anger. I know you would never intentionally mislead the public during a pandemic, so I’m hopeful you’ll correct this mistake as soon as possible. Stay safe, & happy Easter from Michigan ?
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) April 13, 2020
According to Cruz, the image was shared by a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, who took it from Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ’s reporting of Whitmer signing the Michigan bill into law.
Cruz, upon discovering out the error, did the honorable thing and deleted the post containing false information.
The only mistake the senator made was trusting the accuracy and reporting of an established media outlet, such as WXYZ.
Still, CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, a man who fancies himself as a media watchdog, pounced on Cruz over the deleted post.
“Why senators shouldn’t rush to dunk on others based on a too-good-to-be-true tweet. @TedCruz deleted his shot after @GovWhitmer corrected him,” Stelter tweeted.
Why senators shouldn’t rush to dunk on others based on a too-good-to-be-true tweet. @TedCruz deleted his shot after @GovWhitmer corrected him pic.twitter.com/n2SiLmnb4U
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 13, 2020
But, the saga didn’t end there.
Cruz used the incident to not only call out CNN and Stelter for their biased reporting, but also to point out that WXYZ was actually to blame for its misleading graphic.
“I [retweeted] a former LA Times reporter who had tweeted pics that mistakenly ran on the ABC local news broadcast. When I found out the story was erroneous, I deleted the tweet. Gosh, Brian, why does your tweet omit the MSM error that started it? Or does CNN only exist to attack GOP?” Cruz responded to Stelter.
I RT’ed a former LA Times reporter who had tweeted pics that mistakenly ran on the ABC local news broadcast. When I found out the story was erroneous, I deleted the tweet. Gosh, Brian, why does your tweet omit the MSM error that started it? Or does CNN only exist to attack GOP? https://t.co/ehvPHPMrGh
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 13, 2020
Cruz then shared a correction from the station, which apologized for the error.
2/3 Here’s the correction from the local ABC affiliate: https://t.co/YGHBCSC2SI
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 13, 2020
“Your job title is literally ‘chief media correspondent’ for CNN. And yet you ignore the MSM culpability. I simply believed their reporting was accurate. It’s almost as if your real job title is ‘chief of rapid response, DNC,’” Cruz wrote to Stelter.
3/3 Your job title is literally “chief media correspondent” for CNN. And yet you ignore the MSM culpability. I simply believed their reporting was accurate. It’s almost as if your real job title is “chief of rapid response, DNC.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 13, 2020
Stelter refrained from responding and quickly moved on to discussing other subjects on his Twitter page.
That’s what happens when you go up against a man who is a former Ivy League debate champion and a master of dialogue and policy.
But one description that is not part of the senator’s job is media fact-checker.
That job is supposed to fall on CNN and its so-called experts.
Cruz was correct to point out that he had simply made the mistake of trusting the media’s reporting on Whitmer’s continued overreach during the coronavirus pandemic.
It is Stelter’s job to hold the media accountable.
But rather than do that job, the host of a show that is laughably called “Reliable Sources” chose to “dunk” on a conservative lawmaker — and it blew up in his face.
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