Radio host Sean Hannity responded to critics on Twitter after his contentious interview with GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX) where Cruz called Hannity a Trump supporter for questioning the delegate process.
On the April 19 edition of The Sean Hannity Show, Hannity asked Cruz about his recent election victories and whether his delegate wins raise questions about the “integrity of the election,” which received immediate condemnation from Cruz. During the argument, Hannity pushed back against Cruz claiming that “Every time I have you on the air, and I ask a legitimate question, you try to throw this in my face,” prompting Cruz to respond that “as I travel the country, nobody is asking me this, other than the Trumpsters and the people repeating it.”
SEAN HANNITY (HOST): I think the number one question on the minds of Republicans right now is what is going on with the delegates. For example, if you can explain to people that your campaign, that you have every right within the rules, to talk to candidates that are pledged on a first ballot, to Candidate A or Candidate C, you being Candidate B, and that -- tell us what that process is. You are assuming this is going to the convention, you told me that in the last two interviews. So as part of that, you’re hoping to get to a second ballot. In other words, in a second ballot people that support Donald Trump or John Kasich or Marco Rubio, if those delegates are still relevant, can then switch their votes. So you are in the process of talking to delegates and it seems to be very extensive. Can you explain to people what's going on?
TED CRUZ: Sean, with all respect, that's not what people are concerned about. I'm campaigning every day, people are concerned about bringing jobs back to America. People are concerned about raising wages. People are concerned about getting the federal government off the backs of small businesses, and people are concerned about beating Hillary. And the media loves to obsess about process, this process, and this whining from the Trump campaign, it's all silly. It's very, very simple --
HANNITY: Senator, I'm -- hang on a second, I'm on social media with millions of people. I have 550 radio stations, and I have the top rated cable show in my hour, all across the board. And I am telling you that people are telling me that they find this whole process confusing. You know, I can read the articles, for example, about -- you know, people want to know about what actually happened in Georgia this weekend, where people that have, I guess, on the first ballot are going to Donald Trump, but representatives of yours talked to them, and are persuading them to vote for you on a second ballot. That is an important question, because I think most of people would like to know how this works, and I'm really am asking you more than a process question. It's an integrity of the election question, and everybody's asking me this question. So I'm giving you an opportunity to explain it.
CRUZ: Sean, the only people asking this question are the hardcore Donald Trump supporters.
HANNITY: Why do you -- but senator, why do you do this? Every single time I -- no, you gotta stop. Every time I have you on the air, and I ask a legitimate question, you try to throw this in my face. I'm getting sick of it. I've had you on more than any other candidate, on radio and TV. So if I ask you senator, a legitimate question that would explain to the audience, why wouldn't you just answer it?
CRUZ: Sean, can I answer your question without being interrupted?
HANNITY: Go ahead.
CRUZ: In the last three weeks, there have been five elections in five states. Utah, North Dakota, WIsconsin, Colorado, Wyoming. We've won all five, over 1.3 million people voted in those five states, we won all five. All of this noise and complaining and whining has come from the Trump campaign, because they don't like the fact that they've lost five elections in a row, that Republicans are uniting behind our campaign, so they are screaming on Drudge, and it's getting echoed, this notion of voterless election. It is nonsense that they are making it up. Over 1.3 million people voted, we won landslides in all five. Now, there is a second component beyond the elections, which is the individual delegates are elected by the people. Donald Trump's campaign does not know how to organize on the grassroots.
[...]
We are winning election after election after election, and nobody, as I travel the country, nobody is asking me this, other than the Trumpsters and the people repeating it.
After the interview, Hannity went on a tirade on Twitter explaining his contentious interview to journalists and followers:
I was asking a simple question that clearly he didn't like. I think voters have a right to know the answer to https://t.co/LKvxie6R0g
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 19, 2016
Total BS. Listen to the interview. I asked @SenTedCruz to explain the process his campaigning is using. https://t.co/SS5KoYamgW
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 19, 2016
Derek the only thing pathetic here is u lying about the interview. I asked a simple question, maybe u can answer it. https://t.co/SS5KoYamgW
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 19, 2016