Sen. Ted Cruz, R-T.X., was allegedly caught in a very controversial photo Wednesday night — and what it showed has stunned voters from both sides of the political aisle.
The photo could end Cruz’ hopes of becoming the 2024 Republican presidential candidate before his campaign even began, critics said.
If it’s true, that is.
A deadly winter storm continues to pound the state and nearly a million Texans are without power or water.
At the same time, Cruz was reportedly spotted boarding a plane to take his family on a luxury vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
Just confirmed @SenTedCruz and his family flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they've visited before. Cruz seems to believe there isn't much for him to do in Texas for the millions of fellow Texans who remain without electricity/water and are literally freezing. pic.twitter.com/6nPiVWtdxe
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) February 18, 2021
While millions across the South and Mid-West have suffered from the storm, it’s Texas’ independent energy grid that has performed the worst.
Four days into the crisis, hundreds of thousands in the Lone Star State remain without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state’s power grid and utilities.
This week’s extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people so far, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.
About 560,000 homes and businesses in Texas remained without electricity Thursday morning, down from about 3 million the day before. But Texas’ grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that the outages could fluctuate during hours of peak energy demand.
Adding to the misery, the snowy weather has jeopardized drinking water systems throughout the state.
Texas officials ordered 7 million people — a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state — to boil tap water before drinking it following days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes.
In Austin, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and in some cases, heat.
“Because this is a state-wide emergency situation that is also impacting other hospitals within the Austin area, no one hospital currently has the capacity to accept transport of a large number of patients,” St. David’s South Austin Medical Center CEO David Huffstutler said in a statement.
Water pressure has fallen across the state because lines have frozen, and many residents are leaving faucets dripping in hopes of preventing pipes from freezing, said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to shut off water to their homes, if possible, to prevent more busted pipes and preserve pressure in municipal systems.
For Cruz to travel to a luxury resort in Mexico while his constitutes struggle is a “career-ending level” scandal, conservative commentator Jack Posobiec said.
He cautioned patience because the picture’s authenticity is still being confirmed.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1362300708373090305
What are your thoughts on this controversial photo?
Share your opinion here —
What are your thoughts on this controversial picture?
Share your thoughts --
The Associated Press contributed to this article