'Spine of a jellyfish': Internet slams Ted Cruz for brushing off David Pecker's bombshell testimony in Donald Trump trial

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX.), along with his fellow Senate Republicans, showed composure in light of the massive court testimony delivered by ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker on Tuesday, April 23.

Pecker testified about a “secret deal” he had with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, where his outlet produced scathing exposés on Trump's Republican rivals.

Pecker's testimony revealed that he had almost daily contact with former Trump fixer Michael Cohen during that period. They discussed which stories to publish about Trump's GOP opponents and which to suppress through “catch-and-kill” payoffs.

These discussions typically revolved around significant events such as presidential debates and focused on candidates who were gaining popularity, according to DailyMail.

What did David Pecker say in his testimony on Tuesday?

The ex-National Enquirer boss told the court, “Michael Cohen would call me and say we would like for you to run a negative article on a certain – let's say it's on Ted Cruz. He would send me information about Ted Cruz or about Ben Carson or Marco Rubio, and that was the basis for our story. We would embellish it from there.”

All three of those aforementioned individuals were competing against Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race.

Ted Cruz was the only remaining opponent left in the heated GOP race eight years ago that involved numerous personal attacks on Cruz and his wife, Heidi.

Additionally, there was a dubious report in the Enquirer that alleged Cruz's Cuban immigrant father was involved in the JFK assassination alongside Lee Harvey Oswald.

“We mashed the photos and the different picture with Lee Harvard Oswald,” Pecker explained, referring to the black and white cover photo of Rafael Cruz standing next to Oswald. “We mashed the two together.”

“That's how that story was prepared — created, I would say,” he testified.

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked David Pecker, who claims Donald Trump introduced him to his personal attorney Michael Cohen in 2015 and struck an agreement to suppress news stories that could be detrimental to Trump, who the 'we' Cohen was referring to when urging him to run a story.

“I assumed he was talking to Mr Trump,” Pecker replied.

Pecker claimed Cohen frequently mentioned “the boss,” which he interpreted as a reference to Trump.

Per Tuesday’s revelations, it seems like the attacks on Donald Trump's rivals were just a part of the arrangement. To add to that, there were efforts made to suppress stories that could potentially harm Trump's reputation.

One such example was the allegations surrounding Trump coming from a former Playboy model named Karen McDougal.

David Pecker had sealed a “highly confidential” agreement with Cohen, which he then briefed to the editor, Dylan Howard.

“I said any stories that are out there about Donald Trump, his family, the election, whatever it might be. I want you to vet the stories, I want you to bring them to me,” Pecker recounted during his testimony.

He further recalled instructing his editor, “We’ll have to speak to Michael Cohen. You’ll call him or I will, and we’ll tell him what the stories are.”

According to Pecker, the hit pieces were occasionally tied to his opponents' rising status in comparison to Trump.

“After the Republican debates and based on some of the success some of the candidates had I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me on which candidate and which direction we should go. That’s the process,” Pecker claimed. 

How did Ted Cruz and react to bombshell testimony from David Pecker?

Ted Cruz brushed off David Pecker’s Tuesday testimony, stating that he was "not interested in revisiting ancient history" when reporters asked him about it in the Capitol.

This reaction drew a sharp contrast with Cruz's viciousness in the final days of his 2016 primary campaign when he called the fabricated report a "garbage story in a tabloid full of garbage" and dismissed the piece claiming he had five affairs.

The Texas GOP Senator said at the time, “It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.”

Trump's allies in the Senate, some of whom were once the ex-president’s critics, dismissed the new information.

Ohio Republican Sen JD Vance remarked, “Am I concerned that an American presidential candidate used the media to criticize his opponents? No.”

“When you play at this level, sometimes people say mean things about you in the press, and that's just the price of doing business,” Vance asserted.

Sen Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said, “I don't know anything about it. I've paid zero attention – I think the whole trial's a bunch of bull****.”

Internet chastised Ted Cruz for brushing off David Pecker's Tuesday testimony as 'revisting ancient history'

One X user remarked, "And you bend the knee to the ring @tedcruz. Certainly not to the party. To the ring. #pathetic."

Another user said, "Ted Cruz sprints to Team Trump phone bank."

Another user wrote, "Boy they look even more pathetic and cowardly."

One user claimed, "It’s always stunning that Cruz, Rubio, Carson all crawled right back to him. No wonder Americans are losing faith in the Republican Party."

Another X user quipped, "lol, @tedcruz has the spine of a jellyfish."

Another user remarked, "@tedcruz Sniveling weasel."

Finally, this user tweeted, "...and then Ted goes on to bend the knee. Sad."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.