Does Ted Cruz Know Charles Manson Is Dead? We Thought He Was Up On His Serial Killers

Apparently, Sen.Ted Cruz does not listen to as many true crime podcasts as we do. Today is day three of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing, and it's also the day we learned that Cruz still thinks infamous cult leader and serial killer Charles Mason is still alive.

During the ongoing hearings, Cruz feigned shock and horror claiming that all Democrats were in favor of restoring voting rights to people charged with a felony crime. In his best attempt at spinning the facts, he insinuated that must mean that Democrats support violent criminals directly selecting political leaders. “I’m not sure the operation of the republic would be better if Charles Manson had a greater voice in the electoral system,” Cruz said. “Bernie Sanders argued that felons in jail, literally Charles Manson, serving multiple life sentences for murder, should be able to vote.”

A quick fact check: Charles Manson died in 2017, though it's clear that Cruz is not aware of that and believes Manson has the ability to vote in 2020 (spooky, scary).

But what Cruz is actually referring to here is a comment Sen. Bernie Sanders made during a town hall in Iowa in April 2019. When asked whether people in prison should be allowed to vote, Sanders answered yes, later arguing in a USA Today op-ed that “the right to vote is an inalienable and universal principle that applies to all American citizens 18 years and older. Period.” He cited that some states already allow incarcerated people to vote and that the idea, upheld in more than 30 nations, is not as radical as it seems. 

Though Cruz made it sound like all Democrats share this opinion, that, much like the rest of what he said, isn't true. Among the Democratic candidates for the 2020 election, most either appeared undecided or were open to the idea in specific cases such as the right to vote only for nonviolent offenders or people who have already completed their sentences.

This should come as little surprise considering Cruz has gone out of his way to paint Democrats with broad and inaccurate strokes during Barrett’s confirmation hearing. Additionally, he has used his time on softball questions rather than addressing what Barrett would actually stand for should she be confirmed to the Supreme Court. On her first day of questioning, Cruz ran out the clock speaking at length about his own personal political opinions, including further demonizing Democrats, before asking the person he praised for having a “seminal legal mind” about her children’s distance learning and how long she took piano lessons.

A little feedback for Cruz: check your facts. That goes for political policies and serial killers.