Chris Christie calls Ted Cruz 'disgusting' for using 'reprehensible lies' to defend his vote on Hurricane Sandy relief

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August 30, 2017 5:36 PM

"I see Sen. Cruz, and it's disgusting to me that he stands in a recovery center ... repeating the same reprehensible lies about what happened with Sandy."

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey did not mince words Wednesday for Sen. Ted Cruz, launching into harsh criticism of the Texas lawmaker's seemingly different approach to Hurricane Harvey after voting against a relief package for Hurricane Sandy when it hit the Northeast in 2012.

During an appearance on CNN's "New Day," Christie attacked Cruz for defending his vote against a $50 billion Hurricane Sandy relief package.

"I see Sen. Cruz, and it's disgusting to me that he stands in a recovery center with victims standing behind him as a backdrop and he's still repeating the same reprehensible lies about what happened with Sandy," Christie said.

The attack was part of a string of appearances in which Christie pushed back against Cruz's claim during an interview Monday on MSNBC that "two-thirds of the bill had nothing to do with Sandy" and that it was full of "pork."

While some funds were allocated to long-term restructuring projects and projects relating to other disasters, Christie and others have argued that almost all of the money was used to rebuild and repair areas affected by the storm in 2012.

During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Christie said Cruz "made it up" when he said two-thirds of the Sandy relief bill was "unrelated pork."

"What was wrong was for Ted Cruz to exploit the disaster for political gain — that's what he was doing," Christie said.

Christie, when asked for one word to describe Cruz, simply said: "Crap."

Several other New Jersey and New York politicians have slammed Cruz and his fellow Texas senator, John Cornyn, for voting against the Sandy relief bill but pledging to vote for any package to help alleviate the damage from Hurricane Harvey.

"He should just stand up now and say, 'You know, what I did was wrong,'" Christie said on MSNBC.

Laer in the morning Cruz responded to Christie's comments on Fox News' Fox & Friends.

"I’m sorry that there are politicians who seem really desperate to get their names in the news and are saying whatever they need to do that," Cruz said. "We have a crisis on the ground with people who are hurting right now, people who are in harm’s way whose lives and families are in jeopardy as we speak. I’ll tell you my focus, and I wish the focus of others would be on saving the lives that are being threatened."

Here's Christie's exchange with 'New Day' host Chris Cuomo:

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