Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) already-flimsy excuse for jetting off to Cancun while his state suffered from one of its worst disasters continues to fall apart.
Cruz initially blamed his daughters, saying they asked to go away with friends since there was no power and school was out and he just “wanted to be a good dad.” Cruz claimed he planned to return home immediately after dropping them off, then admitted he had actually intended to stay through the weekend while his constituents were suffering from freezing temperatures, massive power outages and unsafe drinking water.
On Sunday, Axios reported that Cruz invited one of his own friends along for the trip. The website said David Panton, who was Cruz’s roommate at Princeton and Harvard Law, joined the family at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun.
Cruz hurried home when word got out about his trip. Panton, however, stayed in Cancun, Axios reported.
Cruz has been trying to save face since the ill-fated trip by making a series of TV appearances and belatedly turning up at relief events. Yet the pressure on Cruz is growing: The Houston Chronicle on Friday called on him to resign for his “foolish, callous and sadly telling of his approach to the job over the past eight years.”