Story highlights Republican Ben Carson called on the Ted Cruz campaign staffer who said the retired neurosurgeon was planning to dropping out to be fired

One day after winning the Iowa caucuses, Cruz issued an apology to Carson

Windham, New Hampshire (CNN) Republican Ben Carson Tuesday called for the firing of a Ted Cruz campaign staffer who said the retired neurosurgeon was planning to drop out.

"I think whoever is responsible for blatant lying should be dismissed, absolutely. Unless that kind of behavior is acceptable in your campaign culture," Carson told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead."

One day after winning the Iowa caucuses, Cruz issued an apology to Carson after his staff falsely told Iowa caucusgoers that Carson planned to quit the race, calling it a "mistake."

Cruz said in a statement Tuesday that his campaign staff saw a CNN report that Carson was dropping out, although CNN had not characterized Carson's actions that way.

"Last night when our political team saw the CNN post saying that Dr. Carson was not carrying on to New Hampshire and South Carolina, our campaign updated grassroots leaders just as we would with any breaking news story," Cruz said in a statement first shared with CNN. "That's fair game. What the team then should have done was send around the follow-up statement from the Carson campaign clarifying that he was indeed staying in the race when that came out."

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