WASHINGTON – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, hedged on Thursday when asked if he would accept Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s invitation to visit Chicago to discuss the impact of guns on the city, suggesting a meeting would turn into a political spectacle.
“The invitation as I perceive it is to a political circus; that does not seem a terribly attractive invitation,” Cruz said.
Cruz did not entirely rule out a meeting with the mayor or a trip to the city — though given what he called Lightfoot’s “tone” and “anger” in their back and forth, a get-together anytime soon does not seem likely.
He also did not entirely reject doing a livestream with the mayor; the matter was on the table because on Tuesday, Cruz sat down with actress Alyssa Milano, a gun control advocate, for a conversation.
Cruz and the mayor sparred on Twitter after Cruz tweeted earlier this month that “gun control doesn’t work. Look at Chicago. Disarming law abiding citizens is not the answer.”
Lightfoot said Thursday she was not at all surprised that Cruz isn’t jumping at the chance to visit Chicago.
“It’s ironic that a guy like Ted Cruz talks about a political stunt. He’s the master of the political stunts. But my invitation to him to [come to] Chicago was sincere,” the mayor told reporters at an unrelated news conference on the West Side.
“It’s not ever a good idea to cast aspersions on a community — particularly one as rich and diverse as Chicago without knowing any facts. Come here. Come to the West Side. Come to the South Side. Learn what we’re actually doing. Talk to the members of the community whose lives are at risk. And help us … get resources to help us address the gun violence.”
Lightfoot said it’s “not a surprise to me whatsoever” that Cruz has found, what she called an “excuse” for why he won’t come to Chicago.
“If you’re not gonna come to Chicago — if you’re not gonna learn the facts, keep our name out of your mouth,” she said.
Cruz was asked about Lightfoot’s invitation Thursday at a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
Lightfoot had pushed back hard against Cruz’s attack on Twitter, in interviews and a Washington Post op-ed, pointing out that Chicago’s gun control laws don’t stop ongoing shooting violence because gun purchases are legal in other parts of Illinois and Indiana, which borders the city.
In the Sept. 10 Post op-ed, Lightfoot wrote that “as long as people can drive from Illinois to Indiana and purchase a personal arsenal without a background check, Chicago’s gun laws will always be as weak as the closest permissive state.”
If Cruz really wanted to know what Chicago is doing to combat gun violence, Lightfoot said she should come to Chicago, “walk the streets” on the South and West Sides and talk to pastors, teachers, mothers, fathers, police and prosecutors.
Cruz rejected Lightfoot’s reasoning.
“So she pushed back and she said the problem is Indiana, ‘It’s not my fault, it’s the red states nearby and so people can go elsewhere and get guns and she just blamed (in) particular Indiana.”
Cruz called that “a convenient talking point. The only problem is, every other city in America has red states nearby. The proximity of a place where one is allowed to purchase a firearm legally is not a unique situation for Chicago. And yet, Chicago’s policies consistently produce a staggering number of murders.”
Lightfoot has another view which is why she asked Cruz to Chicago.
The Sun-Times asked Cruz: “So will you come? If so, when? If not, why not?
“Oh, I’d be happy to go to Chicago,” said Cruz, immediately qualifying his answer. “But given the tone and anger in her response, I’m not sure we would see a civil or substantive conversation rather than just a political show.
“So I don’t have a lot of interest in a political show. Look, I am more than happy to have a civil and respectful conversation. As you know yesterday or two days ago I spent an hour and a half in a live stream conversation with Alyssa Milano.
“Miss Milano and I, our views on many issues are quite far apart but I thought it was beneficial I thought it was good in this era where there’s so much anger, so much bitterness.”
After Cruz met with Milano on Sept. 10 he said in a tweet, “Thank you for coming & having a positive, civil & substantive conversation. I hope it helps bridge some of the angry divides in our Nation and that Congress can come together to stop violent gun crime while protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Milano for her part said after she left the session with Cruz: “He was gracious. I’m unsure if it changes anything. But appreciative for the opportunity to bridge the divide with civil, meaningful, discussion.”
