Beto O’Rourke: Ted Cruz ‘guilty of sedition’ in Capitol insurrection

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) said Monday that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), whom he ran against in 2018, is waging a protracted war of words with actor Seth Rogen as a distraction because the lawmaker is “guilty of sedition.”

“Don’t let him off the hook. Don’t let him make this about ‘Hollywood’ — this is about Ted Cruz aiding and abetting an insurrection that killed 5 people including a cop and very nearly ended in the murders of members of Congress and the Vice President,” O’Rourke tweeted, referencing the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. 

“Why does he keep this fight going with Seth Rogen even though he’s getting destroyed at every turn? Because he’s guilty of sedition,” O’Rourke added. “He’s hoping distraction & time diminish the urgency of accountability. Don’t let him change the channel or the subject, it is sedition every time.”

Why does he keep this fight going with Seth Rogen even though he’s getting destroyed at every turn? Because he’s guilty of sedition. He’s hoping distraction & time diminish the urgency of accountability. Don’t let him change the channel or the subject, it is sedition every time.

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) January 24, 2021

Cruz was one of a handful of GOP senators who objected to President Biden’s Electoral College victory in key states. Critics of the senators have accused them of inciting the mob of former President Trump’s supporters who stormed the Capitol, and numerous corporate donors have announced they will pull their support from lawmakers who participated in the challenge.

Both Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the first to announce he would object to the results, are considered likely 2024 presidential contenders.

Cruz and the “Freaks & Geeks” star have sparred on Twitter recently, with the feud beginning when Rogen criticized Cruz’s comments on Biden rejoining the Paris climate agreement. During the back-and-forth, Cruz called Rogen a “rich, angry Hollywood celebrity” while Rogen called Cruz a “a white supremacist fascist who doesn’t find it offensive when someone calls your wife ugly.”  

The Hill has reached out to Cruz’s office for comment.