Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been under intense scrutiny for the past week for social media blunders and a sudden trip to Cancún while his constituents suffered record blizzards and blackouts. While Cruz initially claimed his flight to Mexico was just to see his daughters off on a trip, text messages from his wife Heidi Cruz reveal that the trip was planned a family getaway from their “freezing” home.
Heidi Cruz sent messages to a group text with several of their Houston neighbors on Wednesday explaining their sudden flight to Mexico was to get some distance from their “FREEZING” home. Heidi invited her neighbors to join her and husband Ted who were planning to stay at the Cancún Ritz-Carlson until Sunday. The text messages were provided to The New York Times and confirmed by two members from the group chat who chose to stay anonymous. Sen. Cruz initially said that he was only flying to Mexico to see his daughters off and would be returning to Texas soon after.
Cruz’s photo at George Bush Intercontinental Airport went viral enough that he was swarmed by reporters when he landed in Cancún. “What’s happening in Texas is unacceptable,” said the senator.
Cruz’s story became even more muddled when announced in a later statement that “the plan had been to stay through the weekend with the family,” seemingly negating his initial statement that he planned to leave for Texas Thursday.
Cruz has received a healthy stream of criticism on Twitter. Most notably, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-New York) who Cruz recently mocked, used the opportunity to raise money and awareness for those still suffering from the blackouts in Texas.
