Photos of Ted Cruz Allegedly Fleeing to Cancun During Texas Arctic Blast Disaster Spark Outrage
GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Photos of Ted Cruz emerged on Twitter that purports to show the Texas Senator flying to Cancun, Mexico to escape the brutal and dangerous cold spell causing blackouts in his home state of Texas. The images were shared on Twitter on Wednesday night, while millions of Texas residents are currently without power as dangerously low temperatures wreak havoc.
Update: more evidence has emerged that seems to confirm Cruz did leave the state he represents during a brutal and deadly catastrophe. Details added at the end of the post.
Arctic temperatures in Texas have caused dangerous power outages across the state, as much of the state’s electrical grid appears to have collapsed due to a variety of reasons. According to a CBS News report, there are 24 deaths so far related to the winter storm emergency, and 2.5 million residents are still without power. It is not a pleasant time to be in Texas, which illustrates why there is such outrage over claims that one of the highest-ranked elected officials in Texas is currently fleeing a state in dire need of leadership.
Twitter user @trx1000 posted images that appear to show a bemasked Senator Cruz in line at an airport, in an airplane, and in what appears to be a climate conducive to short-sleeved shirts. The accompanying text reveals the sentiment behind the shared images.
“Caught tonight! @TedCruz fleeing to CANCUN while home state freezes with no running water or electricity.” Mediaite has not yet been able to confirm the photos are what they claim to be.
https://twitter.com/trx1000/status/1362261395610468352?s=10
The images were largely unnoticed until journalist Yashar Ali brought attention to the story and responsibly noted that these images are not necessarily what they purport to be and that he has asked Cruz’s office for comment. Mediaite’s efforts to confirm authenticity with Cruz have thus far gone unfulfilled.
There is evidence to suggest that the photos do actually depict what they claim, however. Some internet sleuths have noticed that the photos show the same gate as a flight out of Houston Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/keithedwards/status/1362273330942930945
And former MSNBC host David Shuster, who is known for fiery and progressive points of view, confirmed that Cruz and family flew to Cancun for a “few days at a resort they’ve visited before.”
Twitter outrage often doesn’t wait for official confirmation, and so the circumstantial evidence against Cruz was sufficient to stir angry reactions. To wit:
https://twitter.com/noyokono/status/1362370039538679810?s=20
https://twitter.com/lutzfernandez/status/1362358106123042817?s=20
Update: Dallas Morning News confirms that Cruz left the state for Cancun. Also, and eagle-eyed Doug Landry found that a passenger named Rafael Edward Cruz on United flight 2020 from Houston to Cancun was second on an upgrade list according to United.com.
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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
