The Donald Trump-fueled debate over whether Ted Cruz qualifies to run for president came to a head during an extended back-and-forth between the front-runners in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday night.
Prompted by the Fox Business Network moderators, Trump again cited Larry Tribe, a law professor at Harvard University who has repeatedly suggested that Cruz’s eligibility is not a “settled” legal matter and could ultimately disqualify him from taking the oath of office.
Cruz, whose American mother gave birth to him in Calgary, Canada, in 1970, sought to dismiss Trump’s point by offering viewers a brief and unflattering biography of its source.
“Let me tell you who Larry Tribe is,” Cruz began. “He’s a left-wing judicial activist Harvard Law professor who was Al Gore’s lawyer in Bush versus Gore, he’s a major Hillary Clinton supporter, and there’s a reason why Hillary’s supporters are echoing Donald’s attacks on me.”
This is partially true. Tribe works at Harvard and argued on Gore’s behalf at the Supreme Court in 2000. He is certainly a voice in liberal politics, though not — at least not yet — a formal backer of Clinton. He served in Obama’s Justice Department and counts the President as one of his most prized former pupils.
What Cruz did not mention is that Tribe, who recently led a court fight to stop the Obama administration’s “Clean Power Plan,” was also the Texas senator’s own professor during his time in law school.
Despite their ties, Tribe has repeatedly sought to undermine Cruz over the question of his eligibility.
Tribe responded to Cruz’s attack on MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” calling the Texas senator’s response very sad.
“I endorsed Obama over Hillary in 2008 and haven’t endorsed anyone for 2016. Cruz is just making things up. Truth seems to be beyond his reach. Very sad,” he said.