Ted Cruz is currently fielding a potentially career-ending public relations sh*tstorm after he was busted last week for abandoning his constituents during a deadly winter weather event and sneaking off to Cancún (in the middle of a global pandemic) then blaming the whole thing on his 10 and 12-year-old daughters.
Now, multiple media outlets are reporting another piece to the story that the antigay senator neglected to mention during his disastrous press conference last week: he invited his old college buddy, Dave, to tag along on the trip.
Axios reports:
Axios has learned Cruz (R-Texas) invited David Panton, his longtime friend and former roommate at Princeton and Harvard Law, to join the family getaway. … Panton stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, while Cruz schlepped home.
In 2016, Panton, defended Cruz’s character to the New York Times, saying, “The media has caricatured Ted as this one-dimensional, hard-core guy. Ted is principled, but he is actually a good guy and was a great friend to me.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
So great, it seems, that Cruz invited him on what he swears was just a trip for his daughters and their friends.
Cruz spent his weekend doing damage control by pretending to care about his constituents and tweeting photos of himself shaking people’s hands and loading bottles of water into their trunks.
#TexasStrong pic.twitter.com/gK4DHtsvLU
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 21, 2021
Meanwhile, over at his house, someone (probably an angry Antifa wackadoo) hired a Mariachi band to play outside on his front lawn so he could still enjoy the sights and sounds of Mexico from the comfort of his own home.
Who sent the mariachi band to @tedcruz’s house today?!?!? ???#CancunCruz pic.twitter.com/5inOBRGwnA
— Ryan Graney???? (@RyanEGraney) February 22, 2021
Here’s how folx on Twitter responded to Cruz’s weekend photo opp…
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 21, 2021
Aren’t you supposed to be quarantining?
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) February 21, 2021
What these pics tell me is your social media staff hates you even worse than we do
— Ned Pyle (@NerdPyle) February 21, 2021
“Hush just stop. There’s nothing you can do or say.” -Britney Spears, Stronger
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) February 21, 2021
— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) February 21, 2021
Is this from yesterday when it was 70 and sunny😂🤣😂. You are shameless!!!
— lydia (@lydia22022363) February 21, 2021
This looks like it was court ordered
— Rational Disconnect (@RationalDis) February 21, 2021
you should stop posting lmao
— bibo (@biboofficial) February 21, 2021
I know you have no shame but good Lord I am embarrassed for you. 🤦🏻♂️
— Mark Schweitzer (@MarkSchweitzer) February 21, 2021
Ted Cruz after dropping one 8oz Dasani in the back of a 4Runner pic.twitter.com/ttVH754gME
— patton smith (@pattonsmith) February 21, 2021
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Monkey1
Yes Cruz went to Cancun and is an idiot for doing so. But how is this a bigger political news story than what’s going down with Andrew Cuomo?? He has tens of thousands of eldery deaths on his hands and people are more concerned about this in the US? Unbelievable.
Cam
Awwww, and the right wing troll account DESPERATELY trying to deflect.
Here’s the difference. Democrats are calling out Cuomo. Meanwhile Republicans like Cruz and Abbot are still doing their thing.
And funny troll, I don’t remember you complaining about Republican governor DeSantis in FL arresting a state employee who actually released actual numbers of covid patients and deaths because he was trying to hide them.
Monkey1
Cam, do you also post under the name “mack”? Both of you reply to my comments in the same manner, basically just calling me a multi-named troll. But I think I know now why you accuse so many people of pretending to be the same “troll”… because you are doing that.
Cam
@Monkey1
Sweetie, you tried that same deflection technique under the name “Roy Ajax”. Your problem then was you tried it against a long term account.
But it’s cute you keep trying.
Now back to my comment about your ignoring Republican Ron DeSantis in Florida having a state employee arrested because she released the ACTUAL Covid infection and death numbers he was trying to hide.
Funny you seem very unwilling to mention him.
Bengali
Your attempts to deflect from Ted Cruz are extremely pathetic. Dems holding Cuomo accountable. We want justice as much as anyone and Cuomo’s career will likely suffer because of his handling of nursing home deaths. But that doesn’t mean we stop looking into Cruz the liar. It speaks to his character and despite GOP believing character doesn’t matter, most of the country knows it does matter. Time for you to bring up Benghazi now.
cuteguy
@Monkey1
Once again, why are you on this site? Are you so bored on the Faux News site that you have to come trolling here? Next thing that you will be using to deflect is the word “socialist” like all those losers over at Faux News love to over use. Bye troll
RosemarysBaby
You know what kills a troll? Lack of attention. Y’all should try it sometime.
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
It’s not BUT u forget the most important thing, cuomo has a d and cruz an r so that makes it more important in the eyes of queens
Den
What Cuomo has done is being covered in the conventional press quite thoroughly.
What is being discussed HERE (and what both of you right-wing buffoons seem to share, and not actually understand at all) is the overwhelming mendacity and hypocrisy, as well as the absolute lack of personal responsibility that is so widespread among both Republican politicians and their slavish followers.
It is like accountability, honesty, ethics, professionalism are all dirty words to you. the left will rake Cuomo over the coals, the right will simply help Cruz lie his way out of this, or deflect (as you are trying poorly to do).
BoomerMyles
The difference is Dems are held ACCOUNTABLE. The NY Dem led legislature is going to vote to repeal Cuomo”s emergency powers and launch an investigation.
And it’s also reprted that there are enough signatures collected to force a recall election for Gavin Newsom.
Ted Cruz like all rethugs will not be held accountable for his dereliction of duty.
barryaksarben
It is funny you didnt mention Ron DiSantis , my gov here in Florida, who not only lied about deaths but fired the woman who wouldnt lie for him and then sent his gestapo cops into her house to further intimindate her. Much more serious than Cuomo. Besides Ted has never shown any concern for actual citizens that elected him. TED SHOULD THANK AOC AND BETO ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE dont you think since they did HELP TEXANS
sadiedog63
There’s plenty of websites reporting about that, how about you doing your part and looking it up? Too stupid or too lazy? Which is it? Your deflection doesn’t work anymore there bozo.
Cam
You can tell when @Monkey1 thinks he’s losing his troll game. Because he switches to one of his other screenames like “@TheAbsoluteTRUTH” to come on and defend him.
mailliw110
Well……then it would be a TOTALLY DIFFERENT ARTICAL! I didn’t see any mention of man landing on the moon either. It’s been a few years since I graduated from high school. Do they still teach reading comprehension?
Mister P
I keep saying it. Cruz can’t be as stupid as he comes across. He definitely is counting on a lot of those followers to be pretty stupid though.
Den
Arrogance and contempt for the people you serve can look like stupidity. All three however are way to common among Republican politicians.
TimberWolf
No excuse for his behavior, no different that Chis Christie of NJ, shutting down the beaches
Shallow, all of the politicians, abuse power, cover-up, lie, and yet American people keep them in power. Cruz showed where his loyalty and responsibility is, to himself only, Screw the people who have no struggling, and leave the dog in a cold house, just as long as he is relaxing on a beach in Cancun taking home a salary he doesn’t deserve,
cuteguy
This should be a career ender but unfortunately he represents Texas. By 2024 they will have forgiven him as long as he uses the words: gun rights, pro life, anti gay, and bible. Oh yeah, and as long as he uses misogynistic terms, the white women in Texas will eat that up. They’re the same ones who loved it when trump wanted to grab them by their pus$ies
Munungo
All of this!
BigJohnSF
They must be great friends if he flew down to Cancun to join Cruz for an overnight trip just to drop off his daughters.
Lightbulb
Yes, I think you are right! By the photo posted here in Queerty they must be in on it as well? Looks like a college photo of Raphael Cruz not a present day SLOB of a a photo. And by the way maybe he and his college buddy were also living the college years you can guess because they must have brought all their college memorabilia and clothes to change in to as well with those HUGELY BIGLY suitcases for 1 yes 1 night…HYSTERICAl…
Leo
Great friends that chose to be roommates in two different colleges. Might explain why he is so homophobic and anti-gay.
Openminded
I think the mariachi band is funny AF.
jerkinns
It doesn’t matter to our Republican fools. A Republican can shoot someone in a famous street in a famous city and they wouldn’t want him arrested, that’s for sure. That’s how brain-dead Republicans are. All ego, zero IQ
ShiningSex
Poor Mrs. Doubtfire!! She’s so dumb. LOL!!!
ShiningSex
PS. I should used to live in TX (was born there too), it sucks!!!!
BORING!!! Austin is overrated. Dallas is boring. San Antonio is boring. Houston is the only decent city, but got old. BYE! Vote republicans out. Get out and vote Texas. I know their voting turnout is a joke when I lived there and I am sure it did NOT change. Look the state went to Trump.
The real Bruce
It’s a shame what the Republican party has evolved into. GOP=Gold Over Principles. Ted has become a fat ugly slob with no principles at all. Also sad is that “Cam” and “Monkey1” and their assorted aliases can’t elevate themselves out the sandbox and comment like adults. Tiresome twosome!
Cozmo2
Didn’t trump call his wife ugly
Georgeiv2
Please please please tell me that Ted’s long term friendship is platonic anything other makes me feel nauseous!