Ted Cruz suddenly asked his top spokesman to resign for spreading 'false' Marco Rubio story

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz just asked his top spokesman to resign after he spread a video that purportedly showed rival Marco Rubio, dismissing the Bible.

"I asked for Rick Tyler's resignation," Cruz told reporters on Monday.

"I had made clear in this campaign that we will conduct this campaign with the very highest standards of integrity," he added.

Cruz continued:

That has been how we've conducted it from day one. It is why when other campaigns attack us personally, impugn my integrity or my character, I don't respond in kind. None of you have heard me throw the kind of insults at Marco Rubio that he throws at me every single day.

Cruz's campaign has been accused of "dirty tricks" in recent days, and this morning, Rubio asked who would be held accountable for sharing the misleading video. Cruz has also accused his rivals of shady tactics.

The latest firestorm started over the weekend when Tyler, Cruz's top spokesman, posted a video on his Facebook page that purported to show Rubio pointing to a Bible a Cruz staffer was holding in a hotel lobby and saying "not many answers" are in it. Rubio in fact said that "all the answers are in there" as he gestured toward the Bible.

Tyler later apologized, but Cruz still cut him loose. He defended Tyler as a "good man" who made "a grave error in judgment."

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has often called Cruz a "liar" and accused him of dirty campaigning, quickly jumped into the fray.

Wow, Ted Cruz falsely suggested Marco Rubio mocked the Bible and was just forced to fire his Communications Director. More dirty tricks!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2016