[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared at politico.com.]
The Washington Post last night removed a cartoon that portrayed Sen. Ted Cruz’s daughters as monkeys.
“It’s generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it,” said Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said in a note in place of the cartoon. “I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.”
The cartoon was removed after the Texas senator laid into the Washington Post earlier for making “fun of my girls” on Twitter.
“Classy. @washingtonpost makes fun of my girls. Stick w/ attacking me–Caroline & Catherine are out of your league,” Mr. Cruz tweeted.
He was responding to a cartoon from cartoonist Ann Telnaes captioned as, “Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props.” The cartoon portrays Mr. Cruz as an organ grinder dressed in a Santa outfit and cowboy boots while two Christmas-clad monkeys — his 7- and 4-year-old daughters — dance in front of him.
The cartoon was drawn ostensibly in response to an ad Mr. Cruz released called “Ted Cruz’s Christmas Classics” that featured him reading politically related Christmas stories to his daughters.
“Ted Cruz has put his children in a political ad. Don’t start screaming when editorial cartoonists draw them as well,” Ms. Telnaes tweeted earlier in the day.
Ms. Collins may be contacted at ecollins@politico.com
@elizacollins1
Read more at http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/cruz-daughters-washington-post-217085#ixzz3vAsMExqh
