When President Trump baselessly insinuated that Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) father assassinated former President John F. Kennedy, Cruz may have been taking notes.
Cruz launched a conspiracy of his own in a Friday tweet, compelling reporters to ask his Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) whether his "campaign dollars illegally fund" the migrant caravan headed toward the U.S. border.
It's true that O'Rourke has rarely discussed the so-called caravan of Honduran migrants who plan to seek asylum in the U.S., which they are allowed to do under international law. But Cruz's next point is likely drawn from right-wing group Project Veritas, which released a video it says shows O'Rourke staffers using campaign money to "help transport Honduran aliens." Project Veritas has previously been called out for "selective[ly] editing" videos to hit Democratic politicians, the Texas Tribune points out.
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O'Rourke's campaign has said the staffers "took it upon themselves" to donate "under $300" worth of supplies to a "local humanitarian nonprofit," per a statement reported by the Tribune. Charitable donations are allowed under Federal Election Commission regulations, and O'Rourke said the amount "will be appropriately reported to the FEC." The charity in question does help immigrants already in the U.S., but seeing as the migrant caravan is still hundreds of miles from the border, Cruz's suggestion likely couldn't be further from the truth.
