Bloomberg’s Halperin apologizes to presidential candidate

Bloomberg Politics co-host Mark Halperin apologized to Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday for a recent interview in which he asked the Texas Republican to demonstrate his Cuban heritage by answering cultural questions and speaking in Spanish, reports Dylan Byers of Politico.

Byers writes, “‘We wanted to talk with Senator Cruz about his outreach to Latino voters the day after he spoke at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. My intent was to give the Senator a chance to speak further about his heritage and personal connections to the community through some casual questions,’ Halperin said in a written statement. ‘I rushed through the questions, and that was a mistake — it led to poor tone and timing. I also understand why some felt the questions were inappropriate.’

“‘As for asking Senator Cruz to welcome Senator Sanders to the race in Spanish, that was meant to be the type of light-hearted banter that he’s done with us before on the show,’ Halperin continued. ‘In no way was I asking Senator Cruz to ‘prove’ he was an ‘authentic’ Latino. I apologize to those that were offended, and to Senator Cruz. I promise that I will work to make the tone and questions better next time.’

“Halperin’s interview was heavily criticized by syndicated columnist Ruben Navarette, who said he felt ‘nauseated’ by the interview. ThinkProgress awarded Halperin the prize for the most racist interview of a 2016 presidential candidate, while Twitchy dubbed him an ‘ethnic policeman.’ (My own thoughts on the interview can be read here.)”

Read more here.