Ted Cruz responds to a cease and desist letter from Donald Trump's lawyer threatening to sue him for defamation and damages over an ad running in South Carolina. Trump claims the ad constituted defamation, but Cruz says "bring it on."



"If Donald Trump files the lawsuit that he threatens, that lawsuit will be frivolous," Cruz added. "You have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life, even in the annals of frivolous lawsuits, this takes the cake.



"I have to say to Mr. Trump you have been threatening frivolous lawsuits for your entire adult life," Cruz said at a press conference in South Carolina. "If you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad claiming it is defamation... file the lawsuit."



"That lawsuit will be frivolous, and it will result in both Donald Trump and any lawyer that signs his name to the pleadings being sanctioned in court for filing frivolous litigation."





TED CRUZ: But before the lawsuit ends in sanctions for Mr. Trump, it will be important to try the merits of the case. Now any first year law student can tell you, in a defamation case, truth is an absolute defense.



Which means the substance of the case will be whether or not Donald Trump has been pro-choice. Notcie, in the ad we don't say that, we play video of Donald Trump saying he is very pro choice and he is pro choice in every respect.



If Mr. Trump follows through on his threat to file this defamation lawsuit, there are at least four data points that will be relevant.



1. The Tim Russert interview, his own words on national television, a matter of public record. By definition, repeating someone's own words can not be defamation...



2. Mr. Trump's statement in August 2015 that he believes his sister would make a "phenomenal" Supreme Court Justice... His sister is a Court of Appeals Judge appointed by Bill Clinton, his sister has an extreme left-wing record on the issue of abortion.

Watch the full explosive press conference below: