Did Ted Cruz fly to Cancun during the winter disaster in Texas?

Photos circulating on Twitter late Wednesday indicate that Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was shown on a flight to Cancun, Mexico, during the state’s historic disaster.

The images show a man with a striking resemblance to Cruz at an airport in an airplane. Cruz’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but this story will be updated. Other reporters said they also reached out but did not hear back.

Some Twitter fans claim that they match a mask, glasses, ring, tennis shoes and headphones to previous social media posts. In one photo, Cruz’s wife – who has appeared on national television – appears by his side.

One verdict cited clues from a photo Cruz posted inside the Houston International Airport near the terminal for a United flight to Cancun at 4:10 p.m.

Less than an hour later, UA1020 departs for Cancun and lands at 7:52 p.m., according to online flight records.

Still, others thought the photos could have been taken out of context or from a previous trip. There is indeed no firearm and Cruz has not yet commented.

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Those sharing the photos include a lawmaker from his hometown of Houston, Cruz.

“Guess which U.S. senator flew from Texas to Cancun while the state froze to death and had to boil water,” Gene Wu, D-Houston, said.

Keith Edwards, a Democratic agent who worked for Senator Jon Ossof of Georgia, tweeted that people who were on the run with Cruz confirmed the truth to him in photos.

Nothing on Cruz’s most recent Twitter timeline mentions travel. He shared resources for the storm, including information about a heating center in San Antonio and a request for South Texas residents to donate blood if they can.

Reports of Cruz’s alleged vacation spread quickly on social media, catapulted by the frozen frustration of Texans. That after a failure of the state’s electrical network, forced millions in the state to go days without sustained power in below freezing temperatures. If true, the trip would add even more insult to a battered state facing a historic disaster.

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