TED CRUZ: New Ebola Czar Is 'Another White House Political Operative'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is not a fan of President Barack Obama's choice to lead the federal government's response to the Ebola virus.

Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Cruz called Ron Klain, the former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, a "political operative" without the skills needed for the job.

"Mr. Klain is not a doctor, not a healthcare professional," Cruz said, echoing his previous criticism of the pick. "We don't need another White House political operative, which is what Mr. Klain has been. What we need is presidential leadership. The person who needs to be on top of this is the president of the United States."

Cruz, who is looking at his own potential run for president in 2016, repeatedly called for Obama to issue a travel ban against the West African countries where Ebola is prevalent. The White House argues such a ban would backfire and make it harder to track people who contracted the virus.

On another Sunday news show, CBS' "Face the Nation," a top administration health official pushed back against the notion that the so-called "Ebola czar" should be a healthcare professional. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the the National Institutes of Health said the US Ebola response effort needs a good "organizer," not a "healthcare person."

"You don't need to be a healthcare person, you need to be somebody who's a good organizer," Fauci said, according to a CBS transcript. "And his experience is extraordinary. He's been chief of staff to a couple of vice presidents, he has a lot of experience."

View Cruz's comments below.