Oh, brother. Here we go.
The National Enquirer reports that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has had at least five extramarital affairs.
Bombshell news, right? Maybe. Or, maybe not.
The fiery Texas Republican is in the middle of a heated fight with fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. Cruz says Trump’s allies have planted that rumor at the Enquirer.
I need to stipulate something. IĀ do notĀ read the National Enquirer, which I do not consider to be a legitimate news-gathering organization.
However …
Before we dismiss the National Enquirer reporting as hogwash — which it usually is — we need to remember something.
The National Enquirer broke the story of 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee John Edwards’ affair with Rielle Hunter while his late wife, Elizabeth, was battling cancer. The affair produced a child. The former senator, meanwhile, was proclaiming publicly his love for his wife and holding himself upĀ as a courageous and dedicatedĀ family man.
Remember how Edwards called the story trash? Untrue? Full of lies?
Uh, the story turned out to be quite true.