United Airlines has confirmed that it’s investigating a potential leak of flight data related to Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Cruz boarded a flight to Cancun as millions of Texans were left without power and heat amid a freak winter storm. He has since apologized and said the trip was “obviously a mistake.”
Prior to Cruz’s return flight, Skift reporter Edward Russell cited a United source to disclose the departure time of Cruz’s Cancun-Houston trip.
Leaks of flight information are rare, even though tens of thousands of United employees have access to flight data, Politico reported.
Beyond seeking a presidential emergency declaration, senators have virtually no official role to play in emergency response. Cruz nonetheless stirred up a political firestorm by leaving the state while millions were struggling.
Cruz said in a statement on Feb. 18: “With school canceled 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,” he added, referring to the power outages and, in some cases, loss of water.
He said that Texans “want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm.”
