Senator Ted Cruz discusses unidentified objects in U.S. airspace and reelection plans
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said he's hoping he and other senators receive another classified briefing about the mysterious objects floating into U.S. airspace.
When we spoke with him Friday evening in Grapevine, the U.S. military had announced it shot down a second mysterious object, this one over Alaska. Since then, Canada shot down another object over its Yukon territory and the U.S. took out another object over Lake Huron near Michigan. "Presumably, before they shot it down, the pilots examined it I would imagine. So we may have, I imagine we have at a minimum, video images or picture images of what it was."
The Biden administration has said it shot down the latest two objects because they could have interfered with commercial flights. China's spy balloon was first spotted earlier this month at 60,000 feet over Montana, and President Joe Biden said military leaders cautioned him against shooting that down over land.
Cruz said, "The President should have acted swiftly when that Chinese spy balloon first entered U.S. air space to shoot it down before it conducted espionage. He didn't."
As for reelection plans, Cruz would only definitively say he's running for a third term in the U.S. Senate next year. State election code allows candidates to run for president or vice president and another office at the same time so we asked if he had his eye on the Oval Office.
"Look, my focus is on running for reelection for the Senate. And the Senate is the battleground right now. You know you look at what's going on in Washington, I think the Biden administration and their agenda is hurting the people of Texas." Cruz said. "I think there will be plenty of time to discuss the 2024 Presidential race. I'm running for re-election to the Senate."
In the next few weeks, President Biden is expected to announce he's running for re-election and former President Donald Trump is also expected to announce a presidential campaign soon. Other prominent party leaders are reportedly considering entering the 2024 primary.
Cruz finished second in the Republican primary in 2016.
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