Ted Cruz explained his decision to attend a fundraiser for his presidential run instead of voting against Loretta Lynch’s confirmation as Attorney General by saying that that his vote wouldn’t have mattered anyway — and besides, he had participated in the more important, parliamentary vote to stop her nomination earlier. Cruz told Caffeinated Thoughts’ Shane Vander Hart that he had “led the opposition to Loretta Lynch from day one,” voting against her in the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling on GOP leaders to stop her confirmation, writing columns about her being unqualified for the position, and voting against her on cloture last week.

“The reality is the vote was a done deal,” he said, and “there is no doubt that I led the fight to stop her”