Ted Cruz Sheds Biden's Idiotic Move With China's Spy Balloon
No one can deny that President Joe Biden’s recent decision to allow a Chinese spying balloon to fly over the United States for several days before shooting it down over the Atlantic Ocean has caused quite the controversy. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been vocal in his criticism of Biden’s decision, and rightfully so. After all, allowing a Chinese spying balloon to enter the country without taking any action is a sign of weakness and sends a dangerous message to the Chinese Communist Party.
In an interview with CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” Senator Cruz posed an important question. “If nobody had noticed the balloon, if it hadn’t made the news, what would have happened?” Cruz believes that the only reason the Biden administration took action was because it made it into the news and they felt forced to act out of political necessity, rather than national security.
The fact that Biden allowed the balloon to remain in the country for so long without taking any action is indicative of a larger problem. It shows that Biden is more concerned with his own political agenda than with protecting the nation from outside threats. This lack of decisive action sends the wrong message to the Chinese government, and it’s a message that the United States cannot afford to send.
Unfortunately, Biden’s inaction is a reminder that the United States is not immune to the threat of Communism. The Chinese Communist Party is a powerful force, and they are constantly looking for ways to expand their influence. Allowing them to spy on our military installations without consequence sends a dangerous message that we are too weak to resist them.
It’s time for the United States to take a stand against Communism and show the Chinese Communist Party that we will no longer tolerate their attempts to undermine our security. We must be proactive in our defense and make it clear that we will not allow them to spy on our military installations. We must also make sure that our leaders are not more concerned with their own political agenda than with protecting the nation from outside threats.
The United States cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to the threat of Communism. We must be vigilant in our defense and make sure that our leaders take decisive action when it comes to protecting our nation from outside threats. Only then can we be sure that we will not be vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to undermine our security.
WATCH
Ted Cruz: "We know that when the Biden administration knew about the balloon, they said nothing. They did nothing. ... I think the only reason they shot it down is because it made it into the news...and they felt forced to as a matter of politics rather than national security." pic.twitter.com/oQyiSJ5M5f
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 5, 2023
Transcript Below:
MARGARET BRENNAN: We want to go now to Dallas, Texas, where we are joined by Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Good morning to you, Senator.
SEN. TED CRUZ: Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So this balloon traversed 11 states, but the Pentagon says they were able to mitigate some of its impact. Do you think there is upside to the fact that this was captured this time?
SEN. CRUZ: Well, listen, I want to start by doing something that I don’t do very often, which is commending Joe Biden for actually having the guts to shoot this down. That was the right thing to do. That is absolutely what the President should have done. Unfortunately, he didn’t do that until a week after it entered U.S.airspace. He allowed a full week for the Chinese to conduct spying operations over the United States, over sensitive military installations, exposing not just photographs but the potential of intercepted communications. And- and more broadly, I think this entire episode, telegraphed weakness to Xi and the Chinese government. And to illustrate why I would just ask one- one hypothetical question: imagine how this would have played out if nobody had taken any pictures of the balloon, if nobody in Montana had looked up and noticed this giant balloon, if it wasn’t in the news. We know that when the Biden administration knew about the balloon, they said nothing, they did nothing, they didn’t shoot it down. And at the end of the day, I think the only reason they shot it down is because it made it into the news and they felt forced to as a matter of politics rather than national security. That’s a bad message for the Chinese government to hear.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the Pentagon has since disclosed that it’s apparently happened four times before, never quite like this. Back in 2020. the Trump administration shuttered the Chinese Consulate in Houston after detecting espionage. Do you think there needs to be more diplomatic fallout on that scale now?
SEN. CRUZ: Look, I- I think there does. When- when- when the Trump administration shut the Chinese consulate in Houston, I spoke with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about it. And what they had discovered about the espionage activities being carried out in the state of Texas by the Chinese government was horrifying. Right now, there is a Texan, Mark Swidan, who is a political prisoner. He is a hostage in China. He’s been there for 10 years. This past week, I introduced a resolution on the floor of the Senate, along with John Cornyn, calling on China to release Mark Swidan. He’s wrongfully imprisoned. He’s been there 10 years, they’ve sentenced him to death on charges for which they have little to no evidence, and- and I had been urging Tony Blinken when he was going to Beijing, to raise Mark Swidan’s case and to make the case for Mark to be released. China, if they want to demonstrate that they’re not bad actors, if they want to demonstrate that they can aspire to being a great nation, they should release Mark Swidan because great nations and great powers don’t hold political prisoners.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And he is wrongfully detained according to the State Department. This was raised to Xi Jinping in November and there- there hasn’t been release to date. Thank you for mentioning that. But I want to ask you about your role. You are the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee. You’re also a dad, I know you know how hard it is to keep kids offline on this app called TikTok. It’s been downloaded 200 million times. I know you think it’s espionage. Are we at the point where we’re past a ban, where this is just so embedded, that you can’t get rid of it?
SEN. CRUZ: Yeah, look, TikTok is incredibly concerning. You’re right. With our kids, if you have teenagers, if you have kids in junior high or high school, they’re all using it. And the degree to which they have infiltrated our children is really disturbing. There lots of problems with it. There are problems in terms of the messages that they’re pushing on young kids, body image messages, where for girls in particular. You have problems with eating disorders, where they push one message after another. You have messages of self harm, where the algorithms push self harm messages on young girls, and we’re seeing really disturbing figures among teenagers. And then on top of that, you’ve got the espionage risks, the Chinese Communist government has access to all of the information TikTok collects. I think it is a serious, serious threat. I’ll tell you on the Commerce Committee, I’ve already sat down with each of the Republican members on the committee to ask them their priorities, and there was consensus on this side of the aisle that focusing seriously on TikTok is a priority–
MARGARET BRENNAN: As a ban?
SEN. CRUZ: And I think there are a lot of Democrats who are very concerned about it as well as
MARGARET BRENNAN: As a ban or to force the sale of it?
SEN. CRUZ: Well, I- I think all of the options are on the table. And I will tell you, I encourage Maria Cantwell, the Democrat Chairwoman, that I think it makes sense early on for us to have a hearing on TikTok and examine these harms very directly, how it’s hurting our kids, and how it’s undermining national security. As I said, both Republicans and Democrats are very concerned about the impact of TikTok.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Should America restrict U.S. companies from investing in Chinese industries and key technology sectors?
SEN. CRUZ: Well, I think we should be doing a lot to de-link our supply chain from China, to make it so that we are not dependent on China. We saw during the pandemic, when one of the major Chinese state-owned newspapers threatened to cut off lifesaving pharmaceuticals, things like heart medication that- that people depend upon. And it makes no sense for us to leave the lives of Americans at- at the whim of the Chinese government. I’ll tell you in the last Congress, I introduced an amendment on the floor of the Senate to block the United States government from purchasing electric vehicles or batteries that were manufactured using slave labor in concentration camps in China. China has over 1 million Uighurs in concentration camps. And Margaret, sadly, when we voted on it, every Democrat but one, every Democrat but Joe Manchin, voted no. And right now, the Biden administration is one of the largest customers in the world, for the concentration camps that are carrying on murder and torture right now in China. That doesn’t make any sense and it’s not right.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No- Senator, I want to ask you about something here at home. You also introduced a bill to limit terms to two six-year terms in office for Senators. Why aren’t you holding yourself to that standard? You said you’re running for a third term.
SEN. CRUZ: Well, listen, I’m a passionate defender of term limits. I think that Congress would work much better if every senator were limited to two terms, if every house member were limited to three terms. I’ve introduced a constitutional amendment to put that into the Constitution–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you’re still running–
SEN. CRUZ: And if and when it passes- if and when it passes, I will happily, happily comply. I’ve never said I’m going to unilaterally comply. I’ll tell you what, when the socialists and when the swamp–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you running for President?
SEN. CRUZ: –are ready to leave Washington, I will be more than happy to comply by the same rules that apply for every one. But until then, I’m going to keep fighting for 30 million Texans because they’ve asked me to do.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I think you’ve heard me ask if you’re running for President.
SEN. CRUZ: I’m running for re-election to the Senate. There’s a reason I’m in Texas today. I’m not in Iowa, I’m in Texas, and I’m fighting for 30 million Texans.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Thank you very much, Senator Cruz, for your time today.