Post by pavel on Jan 8, 2016 22:21:44 GMT -6
CRESCO, Iowa — Questions surrounding Ted Cruz's citizenship, long dormant in the presidential race, are suddenly moving to the forefront, prompting the Texas senator to explain the circumstances of his Canadian birth with just weeks until the first nominating contest.
As with many controversies this primary season, billionaire Donald Trump sparked the brouhaha, saying in an interview published Tuesday that Cruz's birth on foreign soil could be a "big problem" for the GOP. In the days since, Cruz has insisted his eligibility for the presidency is not in doubt while dismissing Trump's pot stirring — and reporters' nagging questions about it — as a trivial sideshow.
"People will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter it’s quite straightforward," Cruz told reporters before a stop Wednesday in Rock Rapids, the morning after reports surfaced suggesting North Korea had tested a nuclear weapon. “As last night’s events demonstrated, I think there are serious issues facing the American people, serious issues to be decided in this election, and that’s where our focus is going to stay."
The Constitution requires a person to be a "natural born citizen" to run for president, which is generally accepted to mean that at least one of the person's parents is a U.S. citizen. Legal experts largely agree Cruz meets that definition because, although he was born in Canada to a father from Cuba, his mother was from Delaware. His campaign sought to erase any doubt by releasing her birth certificate Friday.
Read more: www.texastribune.org/2016/01/08/questions-about-cruzs-citizenship-reach-new-volume/
As with many controversies this primary season, billionaire Donald Trump sparked the brouhaha, saying in an interview published Tuesday that Cruz's birth on foreign soil could be a "big problem" for the GOP. In the days since, Cruz has insisted his eligibility for the presidency is not in doubt while dismissing Trump's pot stirring — and reporters' nagging questions about it — as a trivial sideshow.
"People will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter it’s quite straightforward," Cruz told reporters before a stop Wednesday in Rock Rapids, the morning after reports surfaced suggesting North Korea had tested a nuclear weapon. “As last night’s events demonstrated, I think there are serious issues facing the American people, serious issues to be decided in this election, and that’s where our focus is going to stay."
The Constitution requires a person to be a "natural born citizen" to run for president, which is generally accepted to mean that at least one of the person's parents is a U.S. citizen. Legal experts largely agree Cruz meets that definition because, although he was born in Canada to a father from Cuba, his mother was from Delaware. His campaign sought to erase any doubt by releasing her birth certificate Friday.
Read more: www.texastribune.org/2016/01/08/questions-about-cruzs-citizenship-reach-new-volume/
