Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) ripped the anonymous source who leaked his wife’s texts over their impromptu vacation to Cancun to The New York Times.
Cruz appeared on Tuesday’s episode of the podcast “Ruthless” to discuss the winter storm in Texas, the state of President Joe Biden’s nominees to top administration posts, and his Cancun vacation cut short last week amid a torrent of media criticism and scrutiny. The scandal that erupted last week was almost entirely based on optics; Cruz left his Texas home for Cancun while his state was ravaged by a winter storm and widespread blackouts.
The backlash against Cruz worsened after two anonymous sources leaked texts from his wife, Heidi, about their vacation to the Times.
“Yeah, I will say Heidi is pretty pissed at that,” Cruz said on the podcast. “It’s a sign of how ridiculously politicized and nasty and just, you know, here’s a suggestion: just don’t be a**holes. Treat each other as human beings. Have some degree, some modicum of respect.”
Last week, Heidi had invited neighbors to join the Cruz family at the popular vacation destination in a hotel the family had stayed at “many times.” The Times reported the texts on Thursday, the day after the Cruz family had left for Cancun and the day of the Texas senator’s return:
Text messages sent from Ms. Cruz to friends and Houston neighbors on Wednesday revealed a hastily planned trip. Their house was “FREEZING,” as Ms. Cruz put it — and she proposed a getaway until Sunday. Ms. Cruz invited others to join them at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancún, where they had stayed “many times,” noting the room price this week ($309 per night) and its good security. The text messages were provided to The New York Times and confirmed by a second person on the thread, who declined to be identified because of the private nature of the texts.
Cruz admitted that his departure from the state amid the winter weather crisis was a “mistake” after returning to Texas on Thursday. As The Daily Wire reported:
After catching a flight back to Houston on Thursday, Cruz addressed the backlash with reporters outside his home. “We left yesterday, the plan had been to stay through the weekend with the family,” he said, referencing how the last week “has been tough on a lot of folks” and recounting how his family had been reduced to clustering around the fireplace after they lost power.
When his daughters found out that school had been canceled for the week, Cruz explained, they suggested taking a vacation. “They said, ‘Look, why don’t we take a trip? Let’s go somewhere where it’s not so cold.’”
Cruz admitted, however, that his doubts about taking a vacation began immediately. “I have to admit, I started having second thoughts almost the moment I sat down on the plane,” he said. “Because, on the one hand, all of us who are parents have a responsibility to take care of our kids, take care of our family. That’s something Texans have been doing across the state.”
Related: Joe Rogan On Ted Cruz Controversy: ‘Can He Make It Warm Out?’ ‘What Can He Do?’