Sen. Ted Cruz said his wife, Heidi Cruz, is upset over leaked text messages regarding their recent Mexican vacation.
On Tuesday, the senator said he and his family faced heavy criticism after they decided to take a warm vacation while Texas residents suffered frigid temperatures and power outages, per People.
“Here’s a suggestion: just don’t be a——-,” said Cruz in regards to who leaked the messages. “Like, just, you know, treat each other as human beings have some degree, some modicum of respect.”
Read More: Ted Cruz called out for volunteer photos following trip to Cancun
“I will say Heidi’s pretty pissed at that,” said Cruz, 50, in regards to his wife, 48, on Ruthless, a political podcast.
The messages from a neighborhood group chat were initially obtained by a local Texas outlet and proved that the trip was a family affair to escape “FREEZING” temperatures. When Cruz returned home, he admitted the trip was a mistake.
“Whether the decision to go was tone-deaf — look, it was obviously a mistake,” he said to reporters. “In hindsight, I wouldn’t’ve done it.”
Read More: Texts reveal Ted Cruz, wife wanted to flee ‘freezing’ home amid Texas crisis
As previously reported by theGrio, Cruz received backlash from Hillary Clinton for apparently leaving his dog behind while they were on vacation.
Without explicitly naming Cruz, Clinton tweeted, “Don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.” Her statement follows reports that the senator left his poodle behind in the bitter cold as he fled the state for some fun in the sun.
Reporter Michael Hardy snapped a photo from outside Cruz’s Houston home, in which the family dog Snowflake can be seen looking through a glass door. After the image went viral, Hardy said a security guard was at the home caring for the pooch, per The Hill.
Cruz swiftly returned to Texas after intense backlash. Hardy noted that the power in the Republican senator’s home was out when his family left for Mexico but came back on while Cruz was gone.
“Snowflake was in the cold for part of a day, but it could well have been longer,” Hardy tweeted.
Cruz released a statement amid the uproar, explaining that the trip to Cancun was only meant to accompany his young daughters.
“With schools cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas,” the statement read.
Upon arriving back in Texas on Thursday, Cruz critics have been calling on him to resign.
Meanwhile, one pet lover has launched the Twitter account, @TedCruzPoodle, and the bio reads, “Hi! I’m Ted Cruz’s poodle, Snowflake, living my best life while Texas freezes over & my a-hole dad is in Cancun. #Justice4Snowflake #TedFled.”
Stephanie Guerilus and Biba Adams contributed to this report
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