Ted Cruz said Thursday that his apologizing to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for accusing him of lying on the floor of the upper chamber "ain't gonna happen," though he praised the Kentucky legislator for refusing to schedule a hearing on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
"That ain't gonna happen," the GOP presidential candidate told Dana Bash on CNN. "And if the Washington lobbyists want the see that happen, they can hold their breath a long, long time.
"My focus is on the American people and uniting Republicans behind shared values and a shared vision," he said.
In July, Cruz accused McConnell of lying to his colleagues on the Senate floor regarding amendment votes to transportation legislation.
The amendments involved repealing Obamacare and reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, but McConnell did it in such a way that other amendments might not have been considered.
The move outraged Cruz, who had planned to introduce other the amendments to the overall bill,
The Washington Post reports.
However, Cruz lauded McConnell and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for standing firm in not allowing a hearing for Garland.
President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court last month to succeed Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13.
"I am happy to praise Mitch McConnell and praise him effusively for his stand, along with Chuck Grassley for saying we are not going to hold hearings on a replacement for Antonin Scalia," Cruz said.
"Mitch McConnell is doing the right thing. Chuck Grassley is doing the right thing. I'm proud to commend them.
"They're saying that Justice Scalia's nomination should be made by the next president," he added. "We need to be focusing on the American people, not politicians in Washington bickering."