In both a truly weird flex and the most stunning admission of political corruption from a sitting U.S. Senator we’ve seen in quite some time, Republican Ted Cruz penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, basically copping to the fact that he’s received bribes from corporations in exchange for political favors.
Cruz’s confession was anything but accidental. In fact, the Congressman from Texas seemed pretty eager to reveal his close working relationship with companies like Coca-Cola, Boeing, and Major League Baseball. Cruz wrote the op-ed to, as he described it, take a stand against “woke” CEOs who opposed Georgia’s latest round of voter legislation. While defending Republican support of harsher voting laws in the state, Cruz threatened companies that have publicly opposed measures to curb voting rights and announced they’d be pulling events and cutting back on their financial support of the state. But it’s the way he tried to leverage his political power that’s raised eyebrows within the ethics community — and on Twitter.
Cruz strongly suggested that in the past, Republican lawmakers have “look[ed] the other way” when big companies owed billions in back taxes, caved to lobbyists, and granted billions in corporate welfare in exchange for campaign funding — something Cruz promised he’d stop participating in later in the piece. But, as it turns out, people who actually value their morals took issue with Cruz’s bizarre self-own, people like Walter Shaub, the former head of the Government Office of Ethics who worked under both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Shaub tweeted out his response to the article calling it “the most openly corrupt thing a Senator has said.”
This may be the most openly corrupt thing any Senator has said. It’s the part everyone knows: these crooks sell access. Others have the sense not to admit it. This is why our republic is broken. Immoral politicians selling power we’ve entrusted to them like it’s theirs to sell. https://t.co/hRciXUXeEs
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) May 2, 2021
And if having the guy who used to be in charge of determining what’s ethical and what’s not labeling you a political mercenary willing to sell your soul to the highest bidder isn’t compelling enough, seeing how Twitter reacted to the senator’s essay might give him some pause.
Announcing you will no longer take bribes isn’t the defense you think it is.
— D Villella
(@dvillella) April 30, 2021
So you admit that up to today, you HAVE been helping CEOs and corporations with tax breaks and regulatory changes in return for their money?
Weird flex, but okay. pic.twitter.com/jQHRgo9Dn1
— Edna K. – Vaccine Nanotracker Support (@EdnaK_) May 2, 2021
*Narrator voice* : He still took the money
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 30, 2021
Enjoying watching Cruz repeatedly hit the self-destruct button on his political career is starting to feel a lot like taking candy from a baby. It’s just too easy to be any fun.