Ted Cruz actually said...

"I think there is none more central to the core purposes of the First Amendment than political speech, than the ability of every American to speak up and express his or her views on the direction of th..."

"the threat of retribution for political speech... is not hypothetical."

"the examples you gave about the potential for partisan retribution are particularly chilling."

"And that standard should obviously apply across the board, regardless of the partisan affiliation of the speaker or the person being praised or criticized."