Texas Delegates Break Into Bitter Fighting Over Ted Cruz's Non-Endorsement
— -- After withholding an endorsement of Donald Trump in his convention address Wednesday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had some explaining to do to his state delegation Thursday morning.
After taking questions from Texas delegates at a breakfast in Cleveland -- and explaining that “I am not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my father” -– the delegation devolved into bitter infighting.
A handful of delegates took their disagreements outside the ballroom after Cruz concluded and broke into full-out shouting matches.
One Cruz supporter grew emotional as she argued with two delegates angry with his decision not to endorse.
"This is like if there's an engagement and your guy that you're gonna marry goes out and does these things that are an abomination to your vows that you're gonna take. Then you have a right to reject that person and not marry him," one woman who supports the Texas senator said.
One response to her position came from a man who had wanted Cruz to endorse Trump. "People talked about my family and I didn't cry about it. I grew up," he said.
"He said he's a Christian he should forgive," another man later chimed in.
The woman responded, "He should forgive, but he does not need to endorse."
One delegate forcefully pointed a finger in another delegate's face. "If he said that about your wife, if he said that about your dad," he said.
"Put your finger out of my face, put your finger down," the other delegate, wearing a Texas shirt, said.
"I hope you'd do the same thing I hope you'd have some character and stand for your family," the other delegate responded, defending Cruz.
"What?" the other delegate countered, "Divide the party?"
Shawn McAnelly, the delegate who confronted Cruz during the breakfast while carrying a "Clinton-Cruz 2020" sign, told ABC News' Jonathan Karl, "He signed a pledge and he didn't follow his word and he will never be president."
