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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reflected this week on the importance of the 2022 midterm elections. It is absolutely essential for our democracy that we win, she said, referring to Democratic officials and candidates. I fear for our democracy if the Republicans were ever to get the gavel.

For Sen. Ted Cruz, the comments were emblematic of a larger problem. Heres what the Texas Republican said on Fox News last night:

They know theyre gonna lose and Nancy Pelosis not gonna go quietly. Shes gonna scream, shes already preparing to scream the election was stolen. And by the way, what she means by stolen is people showed up to vote against Democrats. Thats what stealing the election is. And remember, Democrats dont believe in democracy.

So, a couple of things.

First, Pelosi never said anything about the 2022 elections being stolen.

Second, Cruzs timing couldve been better.

Literally the day before the Republican senator claimed that Democrats dont believe in democracy, The Washington Post published a thorough and well researched report on Cruzs efforts to keep Donald Trump in power after the then-president lost in 2020.

An examination by The Washington Post of Cruzs actions between Election Day and Jan. 6, 2021, shows just how deeply he was involved, working directly with Trump to concoct a plan that came closer than widely realized to keeping him in power. As Cruz went to extraordinary lengths to court Trumps base and lay the groundwork for his own potential 2024 presidential bid, he also alienated close allies and longtime friends who accused him of abandoning his principles.

The article quoted Republican Rep. Liz Cheney explaining, I think that Senator Cruz knew exactly what he was doing. I think that Senator Cruz is somebody who knows what the Constitution calls for, knows what his duties and obligations are, and was willing, frankly, to set that aside.

By his own admission, Cruz led the charge to stand in the way of certifying the rightful winners election. Its what led the editorial board of The Houston Chronicle last year to call for the Texas Republican to resign. The editorial board of The San Antonio Express News even called for Cruzs expulsion from Congress.

Around the same time, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey appeared on NBC News Meet the Press and said, in reference to Cruz and Josh Hawley, Theyre going to have a lot of soul searching to do. And the problem is they were complicit in the Big Lie.

Longtime Cruz friend Chad Sweet, a former CIA operative who chaired the senators 2016 presidential campaign, also denounced Cruz for abetting an assault on our democracy.

Cruz now wants people to believe Democrats are the ones who dont believe in democracy? After his own well documented efforts to attack democracy as recently as last year?

Related:

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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Ted Cruz picks the wrong time to tout the virtues of democracy - MSNBC