BOULDER, Colorado—The CNBC moderators temporarily lost control of Wednesday’s testy Republican primary debate after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz blasted them for what he described as loaded questions designed to provoke infighting among Republicans.
“The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” Mr. Cruz said instead of answering a question about the debt limit. “This is not a cage match.”
Mr. Cruz took issue with moderators over questions mocking businessman Donald Trump by asking if he were a “comic book hero,” and another asking Florida Sen. Marco Rubio if he should resign his Senate seat, instead of focusing on the issues.
“Nobody watching at home believes that any of the moderators has any intention of voting in a Republican primary,” Mr. Cruz said.
His comments drew loud applause and cheers from the audience at the debate, held at the University of Colorado’s Coors Event Center.
Several candidates talked over and interrupted the moderators at various points in the debate, or spoke directly to other candidates in response to attacks.
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Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, drew cheers for saying Democrat Hillary Clinton is supported by the biggest Super PAC of the 2016 campaign: The mainstream media.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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