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Ted Cruz: Was Boehner "auditioning to be Donald Trump's vice president"?

The GOP presidential candidate says recent criticism from the former House speaker proves that he is the real outsider in the race, not Donald Trump
Ted Cruz: Maybe Boehner was "auditioning" to be Trump's VP 01:14

Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Friday that he wondered whether former House Speaker John Boehner "was auditioning to be Donald Trump's vice president" when Boehner praised Trump and savaged Cruz during a public appearance this week.

"Donald Trump is attempting to perpetuate one of the greatest frauds in the history of modern elections, which is he is trying to convince people that he's some sort of outsider," Cruz told host John Dickerson during an interview taped for Sunday's broadcast. "Donald is the essence of the Washington insider. He has been enmeshed in the corruption in Washington."

Extended interview: Ted Cruz, March 6 12:07

"One of the things that illustrated that powerfully this week was when John Boehner went out of his way to attack me, to call me the devil," Cruz continued. "And then he praised two people. John Boehner praised Hillary Clinton, and he praised Donald Trump. He said Donald was his friend, was his golfing and texting buddy."

On Thursday, during an appearance at Stanford University, Trump referred to Cruz as "Lucifer in the flesh," remarking, "I've never worked with a more miserable son of a b---h in my life." During the same appearance, Boehner said he was on friendly terms with Donald Trump, his "texting buddy" with whom he'd golfed many times.

"If you think John Boehner is the kind of leader you want in the Republican Party, then Donald Trump is your candidate," Cruz said Friday. "I saw Boehner's comments. I kind of wondered if Boehner was auditioning to be Donald Trump's vice president. You know, a Trump-Boehner ticket would really say the Washington cartel in all its force. One has been funding the cartel. The other has been giving in to Democrats for years, which is why Boehner lost his speakership...We need, instead, someone fighting for the people and not for Washington."

For more of our interview with Cruz, tune in this Sunday. Check your local listings for airtimes.

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