Cruz: ‘Why are Hillary’s strongest supporters backing Donald Trump?’

by Jesse Byrnes - 01/12/16 3:38 PM ET

Ted Cruz on Tuesday suggested attacks from Republican presidential rival Donald Trump are being promoted by allies of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump has for two weeks repeated questions about Cruz’s birthplace and whether he is eligible to be president.

{mosads}Cruz responded by suggesting Democrats are “very eager” to support those questions in an effort to boost Trump toward winning the nomination.

“It’s more than a little strange to see Donald relying on … a liberal left-wing judicial activist Harvard law professor who is a huge Hillary supporter. It starts to make you think, gosh, why are Hillary’s strongest supporters backing Donald Trump?” Cruz said in video broadcast by MSNBC.

“You know, the past couple of elections, we saw the Democrats thrilled that they got the nominee that they wanted to run against in the general election. And it seems that the Hillary folks are very eager to support Donald Trump and the attacks that are being tossed my direction,” Cruz added.

Trump on Monday cited liberal law professor Laurence Tribe, who has called the issue of Cruz’s White House eligibility “unsettled.”

“Ted Cruz has a problem. Because the question is: Is he an actual born citizen?” Trump asked at a rally.

Cruz has mostly brushed off questions about his eligibility. He was born in Canada to an American mother, a scenario most legal experts have agreed meets the Constitution’s requirement to be a “natural born citizen.” But some say the question remains unsettled because the Supreme Court has never ruled on it.

On Tuesday, Cruz also cited a defense by Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, who last week noted that his father, George, was born to American parents in Mexico yet ran for president.

“I understand why my opponents are throwing more and more attacks,” Cruz told reporters, suggesting his rivals were targeting him because they are “dismayed” with his top-tier status in the race.

Tags 2016 GOP primary Donald Trump Ted Cruz U.S. citizenship