Senator Ted Cruz accused of flying to Cancun as home state of Texas froze

OPINION: Ted Cruz's tweets about California blackouts look really dumb right now

On Thursday morning, Fox News confirmed Cruz took a trip to Cancun, saying "a Republican source told Fox News that the allegations Cruz was traveling to the Mexican city are true."

"The photos speak for themselves," the source told Fox News.

The Associated Press also confirmed the Cancun trip, reporting Cruz "went with his family for a long-planned trip to Cancun and was expected to return immediately, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private conversations."

At the time Cruz was allegedly awaiting his flight to Mexico, more than 1.3 million CenterPoint customers in Houston were without power. The temperatures in Cancun are in the 80s Thursday in Cancun, but expected to dip back into the 20s in Houston, which has sparked outrage as people give Cruz new nicknames like "Fled" Cruz" and "Flyin' Ted" - a takeoff on Donald Trump's former nickname for the Senator "Lyin' Ted."

Twitter user Juan Gomez shared the first photo of Cruz with his baggage at a United Airlines gate, adding "Well Senator Cruz is flying to Cancun while millions of Texans do not have electricity #Priorities #ThanksforNothingSenator."

Well Senator Cruz is flying to Cancun while millions of Texans do not have electricity #Priorities #ThanksforNothingSenator @ProjectLincoln @keithedwards @shannonrwatts pic.twitter.com/X1fRqOie6l

— Juan Gomez (@Juan_Gomez18) February 18, 2021

Former MSNBC anchor David Shuster tweeted that he confirmed Cruz "and his family flew to Cancun tonight for a few days at a resort they've visited before." His tweet included a photo of Cruz inside a plane. It's unclear how Shuster confirmed the story.

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

Keith Edwards - who was an advisor to Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and worked with the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group - tweeted other photos of Cruz at the airport. He said the photos were sent to him by passengers on the same flight as Cruz.

Some more photos here. https://t.co/3I0SfAuoj2

— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) February 18, 2021

Beto O'Rourke, who lost the Senate race to Cruz in 2018, appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday night and took a shot at Cruz, when talking about holding politicians accountable for their actions, including "the junior Senator from the state of Texas, who I understand is vacationing in Cancun right now when people are literally freezing to death in the state that he was elected to represent and serve."

Texas State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, tweeted: “Guess which US Senator from Texas flew to Cancun while the state was freezing to death and having to boil water?"