WASHINGTON (AP) – If you want to see Marco Rubio dance on hot coals, ask him about immigration.
If you want to see Ted Cruz in denial about his record and past rhetoric, ask him about the same.
The two presidential candidates went head to head on immigration in the latest Republican debate – two front-runner wannabes who see each other as the main impediment to the top of the pack. Clarity was not the winner in that exchange.
Cruz asserted “I have never supported legalization,” despite having introduced legislation that would have extended legal status to millions who are in the country illegally. Rubio, when asked if he still supported a path to citizenship, uttered more than 400 words without answering the question.
A look at some of their claims, the facts and the political backstory in a rhetorical bout between two Hispanic candidates, sparked by Cruz’s attempt to paint Rubio as a supporter of “amnesty” for people illegally in the country: