Ted Cruz Calls For Oregon Protesters To ‘Stand Down’

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks at King's Christian B
AP/Andrew Harnik

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is calling on the protesters occupying a federal building in Burns, Oregon to “stand down.”

“Every one of us has a constitutional right to protest, to speak our minds,” Cruz told reporters in Iowa on Monday.

“But we don’t have a constitutional right to use force and violence and to threaten force and violence against others.” He added that, “it is our hope that the protesters there will stand down peaceably, that there will not be a violent confrontation.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) also weighed in, during an interview on Iowa radio station KBUR on Monday.

“You can’t be lawless. We live in a republic,” Rubio said. “There are ways to change the laws of this country and the policies. If we get frustrated with it, that’s why we have elections. That’s why we have people we can hold accountable.”

The protests are being led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. As Breitbart News’ Brandon Darby has reported, the protests began over the prison sentences of two local ranchers, Dwight and Steven Hammond.

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