Senator Ted Cruz has come under fire for holidaying in Greece as deadly flash floods ravaged parts of Texas over the July 4 weekend, leaving at least 100 people dead.
Cruz, who was spotted touring the Parthenon in Athens with his family, returned to Texas on Sunday after news of the devastation emerged.
His office stated the trip was a pre-planned family holiday and that Cruz had been in contact with Governor Greg Abbott and federal officials “within hours” of the disaster.
A witness told The Daily Beast they confronted Cruz at the historic site, saying, “20 kids dead in Texas and you take a vacation?” Cruz reportedly gave no response, while his wife, Heidi, “shot a dirty look.”
Criticism quickly mounted, with comparisons drawn to Cruz’s infamous 2021 trip to Cancun during a deadly winter storm in Texas.
His spokesperson slammed the Daily Beast report and said the senator returned “as fast as humanly possible.”
Upon his return, Cruz visited flood-ravaged Kerrville, where he joined a press conference and acknowledged that, in hindsight, vulnerable children at summer camps should have been evacuated earlier.
He also revealed a personal connection to the tragedy – his own daughter had attended a camp just five miles from Camp Mystic, where at least 27 people were killed.
Senator John Cornyn, Cruz’s Republican colleague, remained in Texas and took part in a local roundtable with Governor Abbott on Saturday.
Source: New York Post
