AP/Joe Skipper
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Cruz made the bold proclamation to set up a joke about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.
"Let me start by saying: Tom Brady was framed," Cruz declared. "Now I'm not willing to pander on much, but on that, Tom Brady was framed!"
Cruz then delivered the punchline.
"And I will say this: I have it on good authority that Hillary Clinton did it. Why do you think she deleted her emails?" he asked.
Clinton has been criticized for using a personal email server as secretary of state. She said she turned over all of her work-related emails last year for government archives but deleted the rest. A investigation published last May indicated Brady most likely broke National Football League rules intentionally by participating in a scheme to deflate his team's footballs below the required level ahead of an AFC title game.
Clinton's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. However, a Democratic strategist suggested House Republicans, who have been aggressively investigating Clinton's emails, have a new lead to chase.
"Somewhere in America, a House Republican just got a brilliant idea for their next congressional investigation," the strategist quipped.
Watch Cruz deliver his zinger below, video via Republican blogger Rob Eno: