For twelve hours the nation has watched, aghast, learning first what some hoped was just a rumor, later confirmed as fact, that a sitting U.S. Senator in the middle of the worst humanitarian crisis in his state in modern times flew to Cancun to vacation with his family rather than stay on the ground to help his constituents, some of whom are literally freezing to death.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has now released a statement to defend his decision to fly to Cancun while millions of Texans are struggling to survive after days without electricity, and in some cases without gas or water, while temperatures plunged into the single digits.
Bottom line: Cruz says he was trying to be a good father.
“This has been an infuriating week for Texans,” Cruz says in his statement. “The greatest state in the greatest country in the world has been without power. We have food lines, gas lines, and people sleeping at the neighbors’ houses. Our homes are freezing and our lights are out. Like millions of Texans our family lost heat and power too.”
“With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”
He does not say if the original plan was to fly back two days after fleeing the state.
What Cruz’s statement reveals is even after being a U.S. Senator for eight years, he still does not understand what his job is, as some experts explained earlier today.
Read the rest of Cruz’s statement below: