Rubio cries foul after Cruz runs altered photo of him with Obama

Moments after Sen. Marco Rubio left the stage at a rally Thursday, one of his top advisers summoned reporters and handed each a sheet of paper.

On it was a “completely invented photo,” in the words of the adviser, Todd Harris, who said it had just appeared on a website paid for by a Rubio rival, Sen. Ted Cruz.

It was the start of the latest chapter in heated arguments raging between Rubio and Cruz in South Carolina, as they fight for what recent polls say will be second place in the Republican primary on Saturday.

The image, which appeared on the website called the Real Rubio Record, appears to show Rubio shaking hands with President Barack Obama in front of the Capitol in Washington, except Rubio’s face appears sloppily superimposed over another man’s body.

On the right side, these words are etched into the picture: “The Rubio-Obama Trade Pact.”

“Rubio,” it reads, “cast the deciding vote to fast-track three highly secretive trade deals negotiated by Obama.”

It is a reference to a Senate vote Rubio cast in favor of granting Obama the authority to negotiate a global trade agreement. As it happens, Cruz voted for the same legislation, but later reversed course when it came up for a second vote.

Cruz’s campaign did not deny that the image was altered.

“Two days before the presidential primary in South Carolina, they want to talk about a picture we used,” a top Cruz aide, Rick Tyler, told CNN.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 12:08 AM with the headline "Rubio cries foul after Cruz runs altered photo of him with Obama."