Ted Cruz says John Boehner's 'Lucifer' comment was actually directed at you

Ted Cruz responds to John Boehner's "Lucifer" comment
(Image credit: AP/YouTube)

Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had some tough words for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at Stanford on Wednesday night, calling him "Lucifer in the flesh" and a "miserable son of a bitch," adding, "Over my dead body will he be president." That became "the top story in the country" on Thursday, Megyn Kelly said on Thursday night's Kelly File, upstaging Cruz's naming of Carly Fiorina as his running mate. Cruz gave his response to Kelly, saying he doesn't even know Boehner and criticizing the former speaker's friendly relationship with Donald Trump.

On Thursday afternoon, Cruz also addressed Boehner's broadside, saying "he allowed his inner Trump to come out" and framing the comments as an attack on the American people, not himself. "When John Boehner calls me Lucifer, he's not directing that at me," Cruz told reporters in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "He's directing that at you," because he's blaming Cruz for holding him accountable. Watch Cruz make his case below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.