CNN once again proved why Americans no longer trust them.
During a heated interview, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) absolutely torched network anchor Kaitlan Collins after she shamelessly attempted to claim that the motive behind the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was still “unclear.”
But Cruz quickly shut her down, calling her statement “factually false” and exposing CNN for pushing a narrative that protects left-wing extremists.
Collins tried to backpedal, claiming she only meant “law enforcement” hadn’t put out a “concrete motive.” Cruz wasn’t buying it.
Collins weakly tried to “both-sides” the issue by citing unrelated incidents involving Democrats, but Cruz shut her down again, noting those attacks were carried out by deranged individuals — not by Republicans acting on political agendas.
The exchange ended with Collins gasping and backtracking.
Kaitlan Collins: You said a lot there, and we don’t have a motive yet. We don’t know yet. We’re waiting. Obviously, we’ve heard what the governor had to say with…
Ted Cruz: Of course we know.
Ted Cruz: Come on. We don’t have a motive yet? We don’t have a motive yet? Really? That’s CNN’s position?
Kaitlan Collins: I mean from law enforcement, Senator.
Ted Cruz: He just happened to fire the gun in celebration? You can’t tell the motive here?
Kaitlan Collins: Senator, that’s not what I said. I said law enforcement hasn’t laid out a direct motive. They laid out a lot of evidence here of these messages and what this shooter said to family members and to roommates.
Ted Cruz: Actually, they have. They said that he was a left-wing activist who hated Charlie Kirk. Pardon?
Kaitlan Collins: Senator, with all due respect, you know exactly what I’m saying. I’m not arguing with you politically. I’m saying that law enforcement has not put a specific motive. You know that there’s a difference in what they’re putting in a legal argument—than what you’re talking about. And we’re not even arguing about the facts here.
Ted Cruz: They have. That statement is false. What you just said is false, Kaitlan. Hold on a second. Let me answer your statement because what you said is factually false.
Kaitlan Collins: Senator, with all due respect—
Ted Cruz: Law enforcement—
Kaitlan Collins: With all due respect—
Ted Cruz: So you don’t want facts. Go ahead, give your speech.
Kaitlan Collins: You’re putting a lot of statements that I did not say. I want to get back to… We just laid out the facts in the opening of the show.
Ted Cruz: You just said law enforcement has not laid out a motive. That is objectively false.
Kaitlan Collins: We just spoke to the Deputy Attorney General.
Ted Cruz: That is objectively false.
Kaitlan Collins: They have not said a concrete motive of exactly what it was. They laid out every piece of evidence that we know so far.
Ted Cruz: And CNN should not be engaged in misinformation. Kaitlan, answer my question.
Kaitlan Collins: It’s not misinformation, Senator. You are taking what I said out of context.
Ted Cruz: Have you seen the polling that shows the vast majority of Democrats believe this murderer is a Republican and a Trump supporter? Have you seen that polling?
Kaitlan Collins: Let me get back to my questions, though, Senator, because the question here was actually—
Ted Cruz: You’re not going to answer the question? Are you going to answer that question?
Kaitlan Collins: What you were saying about investigations that you’d like to see.
Ted Cruz: So you’re not going to answer the question?
Kaitlan Collins: Senator, I’m the one asking the questions here. And the question—
Ted Cruz: No, we’re having a conversation. I understand that you want to say things that are factually false, and then you don’t actually want the facts.
Kaitlan Collins: Do you believe that right-wing groups also need to be investigated?
Ted Cruz: You don’t actually want the facts laid out. Okay, give your speech.
Kaitlan Collins: That’s not true, Senator. I’m asking you a question. Go ahead. I don’t know what your question is because we have a delay since you’re in England, so I can’t hear what you’re saying.
Kaitlan Collins: You said that you believe that left-wing groups should be investigated. You want to know where the financing is coming from for protests. Do you believe that they should also be looking into right-wing groups as well, or do you believe it should only be limited to that?
Ted Cruz: Look, I believe anyone engaged in acts of violence should be prosecuted and go to jail. But I will say there has been an enormous amount—and CNN has been guilty of this—of “both sides-ism,” of saying, “Gosh, both sides are violent.” And understand, yes, there is some violence on both sides, but it is the left that overwhelmingly celebrates this. It is leftists that have been celebrating. You look at Blue Sky, and it is a cesspool of leftists celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk. You look at recent polling that shows over 50% of Democrats saying violence against Elon Musk is justified, violence against Donald Trump is justified. You look at Democrats who do things like what Kamala Harris did—giving money and urging people to give money to bail out violent rioters and Antifa. It is only one side that justifies this violence. My view is, if you commit acts of violence, you should be prosecuted. And so, yes, we should follow the money. Anyone funding acts of violence, we should go after. But this is a left-wing problem.
Kaitlan Collins: How can you argue that… I think the argument people have been talking about recently is what’s going on with the Charlie Kirk case. I think people have raised that because there have been other acts of political violence as well when it comes to targeting Democrats. We’ve seen that with a lawmaker who was killed in Minnesota this summer alongside her husband. We’ve seen it with the break-in at Nancy Pelosi’s home. We’ve also seen it with Justice Brett Kavanaugh and others.
Ted Cruz: Hold on a second. If you’re going to say facts, you need to get your facts right. The assassin there was not a right-wing assassin acting on a political motive. The assassin there was someone who had been an appointee of Tim Walz, and he was a deranged lunatic. Yes, there are deranged lunatics who attack people both right and left. But if you look at murders carried out for political agendas, they are overwhelmingly on the left. Whether it is the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the two assassination attempts on Donald Trump, the assassination attempt on Brett Kavanaugh—over and over and over again—whether it was the congressional shooter who came to Washington to the baseball game and said, “I want to find congressional Republicans to attack.”
Kaitlan Collins: Sir, we’ve noted all of those instances. But we’re also noting that there have been others, including the Democratic lawmakers who were targeted just a couple of months ago. I think that is the point that people have made here.
Ted Cruz: But it wasn’t by a Republican for a political agenda. And by the way, that lunatic should be prosecuted and go to jail. So what I’m not doing is what leftists are doing. Leftists are celebrating that murder. I think the murder in Minnesota was horrible. It was horrible, and that violent criminal should be prosecuted and go to jail. You would have a point if I said, “Gosh, let’s set up a bail fund for that murderer,” then you’d have a point. But it’s only one side that is doing that. Do you agree that on Blue Sky there are thousands of leftists celebrating and reveling in the murder of Charlie Kirk?
Kaitlan Collins: Okay… Senator, I don’t think that anyone should celebrate someone’s murder regardless of what that person believes.
Ted Cruz: But do you agree that they are? You’re right. You’re right. No one should.
Kaitlan Collins: I don’t think Blue Sky is representative of how people feel. If you celebrate it, I think that’s wrong, and I think that’s evil.
Ted Cruz: It’s representative of leftists. It’s only left-wingers who are on it.
