Ted Cruz Goes After Trump Nominee Takes Issue With Past Wild Statements: Do You Continue to Believe Saddam Hussein Was a Martyr?'

"Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was one of the Republicans to grill Hamtramck, Michigan Mayor Amer Ghalib (D) about his past controversial statements about Jewish people and Saddam Hussein during a tense confirmation hearing on Thursday. Cruz told Ghalib he would not be supporting his nomination to be ambassador of Kuwait by President Donald Trump, telling him at one point that his views on the Middle East stand in direct contradiction with the president's policies. During his time, Cruz questioned Ghalib about his past criticism of the Abraham Accords, his characterization of Saddam Hussein as a martyr, and praise for the Muslim Brotherhood."

""Do you continue to believe Saddam Hussein was a martyr? Cruz asked, citing a 2020 social media post from Ghalib. The mayor noted he'd answered the question multiple times and that his reason for saying what he did was a larger point about Iran. I will clarify that. It was the day of January 7, 2020, when our military bases were attacked by Iran. And in a moment of anger because we didn't respond, Ghalib said. So I asked you about today. Do you continue to believe Saddam Hussein was a martyr? Cruz asked for a second time. Senator, I don't think that, no doubt that Saddam was a dictator, and I said earlier if this offended anybody who suffered from Saddam or lost a loved one, I apologize, Ghalib said. When pressed for a direct answer, the Trump nominee said, It wouldn't matter, he's in God's hand, he will get the treatment he deserves.""

Sen. Ted Cruz challenged Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib over past controversial social media posts and statements about Jewish people, Saddam Hussein, and the Muslim Brotherhood during a confirmation hearing. Cruz said he would not support Ghalib's nomination as ambassador to Kuwait because those views conflict with administration Middle East policy. Ghalib said some posts reflected anger over Iran's January 7, 2020 attacks on U.S. bases, apologized to those harmed by Saddam, and denied ongoing admiration for Saddam. Ghalib also said some posts may have been mistranslated from Arabic and cited prior social media habits.

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