[Updates at the bottom of the article]
Yesterday was a tough day for NC’s Senator Burr, who serves as Senate Intel Chair.
On December 16th, it was reported that Senator Burr asked his staff to look into statements made by Senator Ted Cruz at the debate on Tuesday to determine if they contained ‘classified’ material.
Sen Intel Chair Burr says he asked staff to review Ted Cruz’s comments from debate to see if he released classified info -h/t @tedbarrettcnn
— Deirdre Walsh (@deirdrewalshcnn) December 16, 2015
Gee. That looks bad and that’s the point.
The very next day, December 17th.. the backtrack begins:
Richard Burr: Intel panel isn’t investigating Ted Cruz’s NSA comments #GOPDebate https://t.co/9L95AER6hP pic.twitter.com/D1qPKfz67Z
— Charlotte Observer (@theobserver) December 17, 2015
The damage is done though. Once you get an narrative into the media cycle, it floats around for weeks, even after the very next day that narrative is shot down.
The person on the receiving end of said narrative is left fighting off that narrative and again, that’s the point but it I think in this case Senator Burr is going to have the same experience as the Cruz camp.
Apparently, Senator Burr who is the Senate Intel Chair wasn’t even watching the debate.
He was watching the musical reality TV show, “The Voice“. No, I’m not kidding.
Sen Burr said he did not actually see the exchange in question with Cruz last night. “The Voice was on, it was the final episode,” he said.
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) December 16, 2015
Well, it didn’t take long for Burr’s office to totally backtrack but alas, it was too late and the damage was done.
Source familiar says there never any investigation into Cruz comments and Burr’s quips just blown out of proportion https://t.co/G2oMfiJPCi
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) December 16, 2015
I can hear the ‘WOOB WOOB WOOB!’ in the background followed by, ‘ Investigation? What investigation? I was kidding!’
Are y
ou buying that Senator Burr was just kidding?
No? I didn’t either and it’s cost Burr my vote next year. It wasn’t just this stunt either, his vote and statements on the ESSA bill were unacceptable. Senator Burr has lost his way and no longer listens to his constituents.
So Yep, folks, this was a hit and run job — Get the narrative and air of impropriety out there and duck out of the way because it is inevitable that the truth will be coming out not long after.
Burr’s staff who admitted this afternoon what Cruz said was from the Washington Post and he wasn’t first to dicuss. https://t.co/vi4jpIerMA
— Sen. Frank Niceley (@SenFrankNiceley) December 17, 2015
This was a set up. Rubio himself laid the groundwork on stage during the debate, citing he didn’t want to discuss ‘classified’ information.
The question pertains to this interaction at the #GOPDebate last night between Cruz and Rubio: pic.twitter.com/Q5Ha3C49xF
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC) December 16, 2015
Since we know Burr was watching a singing contest instead of the debate, who told Burr to ask his staff to look into Cruz’s statements?
.@BretBaier good interview. You put out the questions and @tedcruz answered. Now what about Rubio’s phoney claim about classified info?
— Sen. Frank Niceley (@SenFrankNiceley) December 17, 2015
This hit and run was an attempt to paint Ted Cruz with a Hillary Clinton brush. It appears the Rubio camp might have more in common with Clinton and her hero, Saul Alinsky.
Pretty slick. Maybe next time Rubio’s camp will accuse Cruz of giving someone cancer.
UPDATES
Apparently, Vets for Strong America is not happy. They are filing an ethics complaint against Burr’s communications director, Becca Watkins.
Via Vets for a Strong America on Facebook:
Last night, #BeccaGloverWatkins, communications director for Chairman#RichardBurr of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, engaged in behavior that was unbefitting of her position. During the course of the GOP presidential debate, an unfortunate political smear was lobbed at Senator #TedCruz by Senator #MarcoRubio when Rubio falsely asserted that Senator Cruz had disclosed classified information. This lie was then disseminated by Glover Watkins, utilizing her United States Senate title and her official Twitter account.
The fact that Senator Cruz has done nothing improper is underscored by the swift announcement of Senator Burr and Senator Feinstein that Senator Cruz would not be investigated for wrongdoing.#VetsforaStrongAmerica’s stance is two fold: first, in her position as communications director for the Chairman of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Glover Watkins has a professional duty to tell the truth and a heightened duty to follow the law with regard to classified information. Given that last night Glover Watkins was seemingly willing to either a) re-disseminate classified information for political purposes, or b) to lie about a member of the United States Senate, we are demanding her immediate removal from the position of communications director. We are further filing an Ethics Complaint regarding her conduct in this matter.
Second, VSA would hope that the Select Committee will investigate and hold hearings into the actual mishandling of classified information by#HillaryClinton. We will be aggressively petitioning Senator Burr for action regarding accountability for Clinton and any others involved in sharing classified information over her secret home brew server.
Lastly, VSA is disappointed in the behavior of Senator Marco Rubio for lying about a fellow Senator and using an issue as important as national security to achieve a political objective. More often than not, Senator Rubio looks less like a serious Member of Congress, and more like#JohnMcCain’s personal Senate mini-me, parroting Gang of 8 talking points. VSA will not stand by while Senator Rubio continues to distort the strong national security record of Senator Ted Cruz.
This post was a reproduction of a post on the group’s website. Read it here.
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