Revealed: Cruz's FIVE affair rumors 'came from a Marco Rubio ally' who has been pushing the claims for SIX months - as Trump taunts his rival over the sex scandal on Twitter
- The National Enquirer published a story that claims that Ted Cruz cheated with five women - which he denies
- The story 'came from a Marco Rubio ally' and not Donald Trump's camp, according to Breitbart News, who turned down the lead
- It said Cruz was unfaithful with a 'hot babe', a 'sexy schoolteacher', a 'foxy political consultant', a 'pretty lawyer' - and a $1,000 a night prostitute
- It was initially believed the rumor came from Trump, who has threatened Cruz with 'spilling the beans' on his wife, Heidi Cruz
- Then Cruz accused Trump of 'rat copulation' and posted a message on Facebook blaming Donald Trump and his 'henchmen' for the claims
- Trump hit back saying he 'hoped' story was untrue and he had nothing to do with Enquirer but added: 'They were right about John Edwards'
- National Enquirer denied being influenced by any candidates in 'unflinching' reporting
- Later in the afternoon Cruz and Trump attacked each other's mental healt
Rumors surrounding Ted Cruz and allegations he cheated on his wife with five women are believed to have steamed from Marco Rubio's camp - not Donald Trump's, as initially believed.
'For months and months, anti-Cruz operatives have pitched a variety of #CruzSexScandal stories to a host of prominent national publications,' The Daily Beast has reported.
Breitbart News claims it was one of those outlets that was pitched a 'Cruz Sex Scandal' story.
The news site said the pitch came from a video peddled by a 'Rubio ally'.
The video shows 'a compilation video of Cruz and a woman other than his wife coming out of the Capitol Grille restaurant and a hotel on Tuesdays and Thursdays', according to The Daily Beast.
In the end Breitbart News turned the story down because 'there was no way to verify the claims'.
However, the video was enough for Nation Enquirer to run with it.
Cruz believed it was Donald Trump and his 'henchmen' who were spreading a smear, prompting a scathing response from the Republican frontrunner.
Cruz publicly denied cheating on his wife Heidi with five woman - described in the National Enquirer as including a 'hot babe' and a '$1,000 a night call girl'.
And he accused Donald Trump and his henchmen of being behind it saying his rival had acted to 'enlist' the Enquirer to spread a smear.
That prompted Trump to issue a lengthy statement denying being involved, but which said of the National Enquirer 'they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards and many others.'
'I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin' Ted Cruz,' he said. ( bEYT OU CRUZ WISHES HIS CAMPAIGHN HADNT TANGLED WITH THE DONALD. aLL VERY BAD STUFF AND CRUZIE NEEDS TO LIFT HIS GAME AND QUICKLY RENOUNCE BAD STUFF COMING FROM HIS LUNATIC FRINGE SUPPORTERS.
The extraordinary spectacle of the Christian conservative candidate defending the integrity of his marriage unfolded in the space of hours.
He first found himself facing extraordinary claims of five affairs when a story in the National Enquirer magazine became the subject of Washington gossip on Thursday night, and two women were named as potential mistresses by a Republican operative on Friday morning.
The Enquirer had never named the women with whom it accused Cruz of cheating on his wife Heidi.
CRUZIE THEN LOST IT CMPLETELY AND WATCH THIS VERY FOULD LANGAGE!!
'Let me be clear. This National Enquirer story is garbage,' Cruz said this afternoon. 'It is complete and utter lies. It is a tabloid smear and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.'
Then he launched into an attack on Trump saying his rival was a 'rat' - 'but I have no desire to copulate with him'.
He blamed Roger Stone, a former Trump aide labeled a 'ratf****r' (uNDER PRESSURE THESE FACDES FALL WAY!) over claims he was involved in dirty tricks for the Nixon administration for the 'garbage', saying Stone had '50 years of dirty tricks behind him'.
'He’s a man for whom a term was coined for copulating with a rodent. Well, let me be clear. Donald Trump may be a rat but I have no desire to copulate with him.'
Then he used Facebook to blame Trump directly.
'For Donald J. Trump to enlist his friends at the National Enquirer and his political henchmen to do his bidding shows you that there is no low Donald won’t go,' he said.
'These smears are completely false, they’re offensive to Heidi and me, they’re offensive to our daughters, and they’re offensive to everyone Donald continues to personally attack.'
But the claim that Trump had influenced it incensed the National Enquirer.
Its parent company AMI issued a statement saying: 'No one influence the reporting that the National Enquirer does other than our own reporters and editors.'(Seems cruzie has lost it badly. as he has no proof wahtsoever trup had any involvement!)
Cruz, who has made his Christian faith and family values the centerpiece of his campaign for the White House, using campaign time to deny five affairs, sent shocks through Washington.
On twitter, the hashtag 'TedCruzAffairs' was one of the most popular across the nation.
Both women named by Mair denied they had committed adultery with Cruz.