Cruz stares down debate moderator

by Jesse Byrnes - 02/13/16 9:36 PM ET

.@jdickerson tries to correct Cruz on Kennedy appointment, gets booed by audience for facts. #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/31bdGQoE7a

— Mashable News (@MashableNews) February 14, 2016

Presidential contender Ted Cruz stared down CBS News host John Dickerson during the GOP primary debate Saturday night as the moderator corrected the Texas senator on past nominations for the Supreme Court.

{mosads}”We have 80 years of precedent of not confirming Supreme Court justices in an election year,” Cruz started, arguing President Obama shouldn’t appoint a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Saturday.

“I’m sorry to interrupt – were any appointed in an election year?” Dickerson interjected, before Cruz acknowledged he meant to say there was lengthy precedent of “not confirming” in an election year.

“But Kennedy was confirmed in ’88,” Dickerson said.

“Kennedy was confirmed in ’87,” Cruz shot back.

“He was appointed in ’87, confirmed in ’88. That’s the question: Is it appointing or confirming,” Dickerson said.

“In this case, it’s both. But if I could answer the question?” Cruz asked.

“I just wanted to get the facts straight for the audience,” Dickerson added.

Cruz paused for several seconds and stared at the moderator, apparently weighing whether to launch an attack on the media as he’s done in previous events, before the audience starting booing.

“Justice Scalia was a legal giant. He was someone I knew for 20 years,” he said in remembering the late justice.

–Updated: 10 p.m.

Tags Ted Cruz