Sen. Cruz Previews Hearing on Antifa’s Violence on Fox & Friends

Discusses Antifa’s organized attacks on American cities, Democrats’ dangerous push for universal mail-in voting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on The Constitution, today appeared on Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’ where he previewed his hearing examining how Antifa and other anti-American anarchists hijack peaceful protests to engage in riots and violence. During the interview, Sen. Cruz also warned against Democrats’ push for universal mail-in voting ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Excerpts of the interview are below.

WATCH: Sen. Cruz Previews Hearing on Antifa & Anti-American Violence

ON ANTIFA’S HIJACK OF PEACEFUL PROTESTS:

This morning, we’re going to examine what the Constitution protects, which is the right to peaceably assemble. We saw, starting a couple of months ago, thousands of people across the country coming out [and] exercising their free speech rights. You and I, we all have a right to speak and to protest, but we cross the line when we commit violence. When you assault someone else, when you firebomb a police car, when you loot and destroy a small business. When you murder a police officer, you’ve crossed the line and that has got to stop.”

READ: Sen. Cruz in the Wall Street Journal: A Way to Take Back Portland

WATCH: Antifa’s Terrorist Assault on America

ON HOW WE HOLD ANTIFA ACCOUNTABLE:

This hearing is really focusing on how violent terrorists – how these attacks are not spontaneous; they’re organized. Antifa is organizing them. […] We need to see concerted, real efforts that anyone understands if you assault someone else, if you commit an act of violence you’re going to be arrested, you’re going to jail, and you’ll be prosecuted.”

READ: Democrats: Abandoning Brave Men & Women of Law Enforcement

WATCH: We Will Defend America Against Violent Anarchists

ON DEMOCRATS’ DANGEROUS PUSH FOR UNIVERSAL MAIL-IN BALLOTS:

When it comes to elections, we want them to be safe. We want them to be secure. We want that when you go and cast a vote, that that vote count and that the integrity of the election be protected. […] Mail-in ballots are particularly susceptible to fraud. […]”

I think the president is absolutely right. We need integrity in our elections. We are sitting here six weeks later and we still don’t know the results in New York. Imagine if that happens in the presidential race. That wouldn’t be pretty. Let’s not have that happen. Let’s actually have people’s votes count when they cast them.”

As reported by Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Sen. Cruz will chair a hearing today at 2:30 pm ET to investigate how “groups such as Antifa, which, while active for years, have recently escalated their presence in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody.” Read the full piece here.

WATCH LIVE: Sen. Cruz’s Hearing on ‘The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence’