‘I Don’t Believe That’s The Right Question’: Ted Cruz Urges Caution On Josh Hawley’s SCOTUS Litmus Test

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz urged caution on Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s abortion litmus test for future Supreme Court justice nominees in a Sunday interview.

The Texas senator discussed who will replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. Ginsburg died at the age of 87 due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Stephanopoulos referenced Hawley’s Saturday statement that he would only vote for Supreme Court nominees “who understand and acknowledge that Roe was wrongly decided.”

“Will you take that stand?” Stephanopoulos asked Cruz. (RELATED: Hawley Calls On Republicans To Reject Pro-Abortion SCOTUS Nominees)

“Well, I don’t believe that’s the right question to ask,” Cruz responded.

“Where Republicans have gotten this wrong is where we’ve rolled the dice,” he continued. “On the Democratic side, Democrats bat almost 1,000. Almost every Democratic nominee votes exactly as the Democrats want. On the Republican side, we maybe bat 500. A full half of Republican nominees end up galloping to the left and undermining the constitution.”

Cruz said that Republicans need to look for a candidate who has a proven record of defending core Republican values. (RELATED: Moments After Trump Floats Tom Cotton For SCOTUS, Cotton Says ‘It’s Time For Roe V. Wade To Go’)

“You look for a proven record of has this individual stood up for the constitution, defended free speech, defended religious liberty, defended the Second Amendment,” Cruz said. “Has the press criticized them, has the press attacked them, and have they stood strong?”

“If you look at the justices who stayed faithful to their oath, people like Antonin Scalia, people like Justice Thomas, people like Sam Alito, people like my old boss, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, every one of them followed that pattern,” Cruz continued.

“And that’s what I’ve urged the president to nominate,” the Texas senator said.

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