WATCH: Ted Cruz Trips Up Biden Nominee Kristen Clarke Over Very Recent Support for ‘Defund the Police’

Senator Ted Cruz effectively grilled President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights Kristen Clarke over what appears to be pretty clear inconsistencies in her “Defund the Police” position.

Cruz referenced a 2020 Newsweek Op-Ed Clarke had written titled “I Prosecuted Police Killings. Defund the Police—But Be Strategic.” The column thoughtfully examines from her expertise how “we can be smart and strategic about how and where we look to ‘defund the police.'”

“As I look to your record I look to someone who has spent a career as a partisan advocate before mention the Newsweek Op-ed,” Cruz opened before asking. “Do you still believe that it’s still a good idea to defund the police?”

“I do not support defunding the police,” Clarke replied. “The impetus for writing that op-ed was to make clear that I do not support defunding the police.” She added that she merely wanted to “channel resources to places such as mental health treatment” and reiterated: “I don’t support taking away resources from police.”

But as Cruz pointed out, multiple times Clarke writes of how “We must invest less in police” and more in social workers, mental health aid, and social supports in our schools. The position of redirecting funds from police departments for a senior role in the Department of Justice is worthy of cross-examination, which Cruz pulled off quite effectively.

Frequent readers might be aware that my past positions on Senator Cruz have been less than charitable. But we aim to fairly call balls and strikes, and Senator Cruz was the clear winner in this exchange.

Watch above via CSPAN.

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