Ted Cruz Accuses Donald Trump of Planting Tabloid Story

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz’s feud is becoming increasingly personal, with the Texas senator accusing “sleazy Donald” of spreading rumors.

Ted Cruz told reporters that Donald Trump was behind a story in the National Enquirer that alleged Cruz has had extramarital affairs.

The Texas senator called the story “garbage, complete and utter lies”.

“It is a tabloid smear and it has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.”

As evidence that Donald Trump planted the story, Ted Cruz pointed out that the only person quoted by name in the Enquirer story was Roger Stone, a former top adviser to the Trump campaign.

Photo AP

Ted Cruz also noted that Donald Trump and National Enquirer CEO David Pecker are close friends.

Asked whether he would still support Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, if he won the nomination, Ted Cruz did not answer directly.

However, he said: “I’m not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and my family.”

Donald Trump said in a statement: “I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

On March 22, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who had been on good terms earlier in the campaign, began trading insults on Twitter.

Mistakenly believing the Cruz campaign had produced an attack advert about his wife Melania, Donald Trump on Twitter threatened to “spill the beans” on Cruz’s wife, Heidi.

Ted Cruz responded saying his campaign did not produce the advert, calling Donald Trump “classless” and a “coward”.

On March 23, Donald Trump continued, posting an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz on Twitter.

Ted Cruz responded, calling Donald Trump a “sniveling coward” and told him to “leave Heidi the hell alone”.