Did Ted Cruz Leak Classified Info on Live TV Last Night?

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According to AP reporter Erica Werner, Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is “looking into possibility Cruz released classified info during last night’s debate.” Exciting! So what was it that Cruz said? Here’s a replay:

CRUZ: Well, you know, I would note that Marco knows what he’s saying isn’t true…What he knows is that the old program covered 20 percent to 30 percent of phone numbers to search for terrorists. The new program covers nearly 100 percent. That gives us greater ability to stop acts of terrorism, and he knows that that’s the case.

Is this classified info? Inquiring minds can’t wait to find out.

UPDATE: Hmmm. Marcy Wheeler says, “Story here is NOT that Cruz leaked classified info. Burr let Rubio leak classified info, but now wants to go after Cruz for rebutting.” The plot thickens…

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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