Cruz says people accusing him of sedition need to ‘calm down’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Sunday called for critics of his challenge to the results of the presidential election to “tone down the rhetoric.”

“I think everyone needs to calm down,” Cruz, who on Saturday led a group of 11 GOP senators who said they would challenge the results of the presidential election in several states, said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“I think we need to tone down the rhetoric. This is already a volatile situation. It’s like a tinderbox and throwing lit matches into it,” Cruz said.

Cruz criticized “hyperbole” and “angry language” in response to his statement Saturday, accusing Democrats of “urging that I should be arrested and tried for sedition and treason.”

“That’s not helpful … at a time when we’re pitted against each other. Just relax, and let’s do our jobs,” he said. “We have a responsibility to follow the law.”

Cruz and the other GOP senators have come under criticism for saying they would challenge the results, including from other Republicans. GOP Sens. Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Mitt Romney (Utah) have both said political ambition is outweighing principle in the challenges.

Cruz joined 10 other GOP senators on the letter, including Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and John Kennedy (La.). It came on the heels of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announcing he would object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, forcing a formal vote in both chambers of Congress.

Hawley and Cruz are both seen as potential 2024 presidential candidates.