Nerd Fight! Ted Cruz Battles Laurence Tribe in Nasty Twitter Squabble: You’re ‘Rich, Bitter, Angry’
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It was an Ivy League Battle Royale on Twitter Friday afternoon, as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe — who had been one of Cruz’s professors during his years at America’s oldest continuously operating law school — tossed metaphorical punches over Twitter regarding comments made earlier in the day by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who is a Harvard Law alumna as well.
The kerfuffle began when McEnany, addressing reporters’ questions in the White House press briefing room, defended President Donald Trump’s belief that he has “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution while he is in office, despite recent Supreme Court opinions that kicked major holes in that argument.
Tribe tweeted an article about McEnany’s assertion, commenting that it was “embarrassing” that she had a Harvard Law degree.
It’s embarrassing that Kayleigh has a Harvard Law degree. https://t.co/zHsLtBTf9D
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 10, 2020
Reaction to Tribe’s tweet divided on political lines, with Trump supporters coming to McEnany’s defense, and Trump critics throwing their own barbs at the presidential spokeswoman.
Jennifer Rubin from the Washington Post added her own snark, quipping that Tribe’s “former colleagues must have been generous graders.”
Your former colleagues must have been generous graders
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) July 10, 2020
Tribe replied to Rubin, lamenting that Harvard Law had admitted such a “dense” student.
Maybe, but how in the world did we ever admit anyone so dense? https://t.co/gXy0wQh52G
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 10, 2020
Cruz jumped in to defend McEnany, excoriating Tribe as a sexist who was “once a good teacher,” but was now “embarrassing” for “publicly belittling the intelligence of your young, female former students.”
.@tribelaw You were once a good teacher. It’s embarrassing to see you now publicly belittling the intelligence of your young, female former students.
I don’t know Kayleigh, but her answer cited Justice Alito, Justice Kavanaugh & Alexander Hamilton. Which one embarrasses you? https://t.co/vaqHAqPxwo
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
Tribe smacked right back at his former student, saying Cruz now embarrassed him as well.
You embarrass me, @tedcruz — no “young female,” though you are my former student. As does Kayleigh’s misappropriation of of Hamilton and Justices like Alito, who agreed with CJ Roberts that Trump’s absolute immunity claim was bogus, a point on which SCOTUS was 9-0. https://t.co/IACRyv766f
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 10, 2020
A few hours later, Cruz piled on with a pair of sharply worded tweets, accusing Tribe of being “broken” by Trump and no longer able to “engage in principled debate.” Cruz also called him “a rich, bitter, angry Leftist,” and again accused him of criticizing McEnany only because she is a “young, blonde woman.”
Cruz then called Tribe “obnoxious” for being a teacher insulting his former students, and “[a]cting like an angry sixth-grader.”
Then, in one final snide swipe, Cruz tells Tribe that he knows his “feelings were hurt” when multiple Democratic presidents passed him over for a Supreme Court nomination, “but you could try to show a modicum of class.”
Larry, Trump has broken you.
You used to be able to engage in principled debate—as you & I did in your ConLaw class.
Now, you’re a rich, bitter, angry Leftist. And you wouldn’t have directed that snide condescension at Kayleigh were she not a young, blonde woman. https://t.co/93t5n93XIN
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
2/x And, as you attack Kayleigh, it’s also just obnoxious for a teacher to be insulting his former students. Acting like an angry sixth-grader.
I know your feelings were hurt that multiple Dem Presidents passed you over for SCOTUS, but you could try to show a modicum of class.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
Tribe did not reply directly to Cruz but did make his tweet calling Cruz embarrassing his pinned tweet, and then issued a challenge to Trump to defend McEnany and Cruz’s remarks.
“Do you agree with your buddy [Cruz] that my critique of [McEnany] for how she defended you was misogynistic or otherwise offensive?” tweeted Tribe. “I dare you to defend Kayleigh by attacking me.”
“I suspect you’re much too cowardly to take me on.”
To @realDonaldTrump:
Do you agree with your buddy @tedcruz that my critique of @PressSec for how she defended you was misogynistic or otherwise offensive?
I dare you to defend Kayleigh by attacking me.
I suspect you’re much too cowardly to take me on. https://t.co/IACRyv766f
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 10, 2020
Neither Cruz nor Tribe has tweeted in the past few hours, so this dispute remains unresolved. Perhaps some sort of tricycle race or other contest, with proceeds donated to Harvard Law scholarships, could be the solution?
[Warning: NSFW language in the video below.]
