Cruz Apologizes for Describing Jan. 6 Attack as Terrorism

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 19: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) listens during the nomination hearing of Kelly Craft, President Trump’s nominee to be Representative to the United Nations, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. Craft has faced extensive scrutiny for her ties to the coal industry, as well as allegations that she was frequently absent during her time as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) – It’s not often that Ted Cruz finds himself having to mend fences with the right. But that was the Texas senator’s challenge after Tucker Carlson on Fox News assailed him for calling the Jan. 6 Capitol riot “a violent terrorist attack.” Cruz went on Carlson’s show Thursday night to apologize for his description. He called his words “sloppy” and “dumb.” Cruz insisted that he had misspoken, though he has consistently described the riot by Donald Trump supporters as a terrorist attack in interviews and statements over the last year.