Ted Cruz confronted Ted Cruz in Houston about his views on gun right. The man is sticking by what he said. “What I was trying to do was hold my elected official accountable,” activist Benjamin Hernandez told Inside Edition Digital.
Hernandez, who just went to a demonstration outside of the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) annual meeting over the weekendHe said that he was eating dinner at a nearby restaurant with his wife when Cruz and his entourage entered the restaurant.
“I was like, ‘You f*****.’ It was this instinctive reaction. I was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re here in the context of everything,’” Hernandez explained. “I was like, ‘I have to do something,’ This is my representative.”
He explained that this reaction was triggered by his position as a board member. Indivisible Houston– An organization that holds politicians and corporate funders responsible and encourages civic action.
Anticipating that Cruz wouldn’t be open to questions, Hernandez instead approached him asking for a photo. Hernandez approached Cruz to ask for a photograph. However, the camera was being set up to record a video. As Cruz smiled and took a photo, Hernandez turned to Cruz and asked questions.
“The first thing I asked him, ‘Can you tell me why it’s so hard to support stronger gun laws in this country?’ That’s where the conversation started,”He explained. “‘What about background checks? Surely we can find common ground on background checks.’”
He said Cruz directed him to his speech at the NRA, and before he knew it, the senator’Private security began to escort him out.
“By the way, I did go back and [watched his NRA speech,]’”He said: “He complains about the elites who live in gated communities with their private securities, and it was his private security that dragged me out.”
Hernandez’s line of questioning became more and more impassioned, and as he was being pushed out of the restaurant, he could be heard in the video yelling, “19 children died and that’s on your hands.”
Hernandez explained that he is a newly-minted father to a 15-month old daughter and felt the need to take responsibility for Robb Elementary School parents following the Uvalde school shooting.
“There are families right now that are grieving, and maybe they don’t have the head space to ask their elected officials, ‘Why didn’t you do something? Why aren’t you trying?’ So to me, it’s the least I can do in this space to hold power accountable,”He explained.
Hernandez expressed his hope that others would be inspired by Hernandez’s video. “challenge their elected officials”And “make that space to engage with them.”
