On Wednesday, June 30th, news broke about a recorded conversation featuring Senator Ted Cruz outlining a plan to challenge the 2020 election results. The recording, made by Abby Grossberg, a former producer at Fox News, allegedly shows the senator’s scheming to assist President Donald Trump in overturning the results of a legitimate election (Washington Post).
New tape recordings of Senator Cruz and Fox’s Maria Bartiromo were also aired on MSNBC, revealing a “step two” of January 6th coup plot (MSNBC). In the tapes, Cruz is heard describing a plan to create an electoral commission to assess false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election (Salon). This revelation adds to the mounting evidence of Senator Cruz’s involvement in the attempt to overthrow the election results.
While the Texas senator continues to be embroiled in controversy, one potential challenger for his Senate seat has emerged. San Antonio Democrat Roland Gutierrez is gearing up for a likely 2024 run against Ted Cruz (San Antonio Express-News).
This recent scandal is not the first time Cruz has made headlines for controversial actions. Newly revealed audio shows him explaining to Fox News how delaying the certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory was a viable strategy (The Hill). Cruz was also the first of 11 senators who objected to the certification of President Biden’s 2020 electoral victory on Jan. 6th (The Week).
As the news about the senator continues to develop, there are also reports that he received political donations over the years. Among the donors listed were Jim and Linda McIngvales’, who compiled federal, state, and local data back to the late 1980s (Houston Chronicle).
Despite the controversy surrounding Senator Cruz, he remains a vocal member of the Republican party. Recently, he dismissed leaked Maria Bartiromo audio on the 2020 election, suggesting that the conversation that was nearly identical to his comments was not news-worthy (Newsweek).
As the narrative around Ted Cruz continues to develop, it remains to be seen how much, if any, of an impact this latest scandal will have on his political career.
