Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wasn’t the only Republican lawmaker in the state to flee while residents suffered the results of an unprecedented winter storm.
“State Rep. Gary Gates is under fire from his constituents for leaving House District 28 on Wednesday as much of Fort Bend County struggled without water and power. After losing power Tuesday, Gates left his home via his private jet Wednesday night and traveled to Orlando, Fla., sparking outrage among many who believe the freshman lawmaker should have remained in his district,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
Gates’ story as to why he went to Florida doesn’t add up. One of the lawmaker’s aides told Stefan Modrich of the Fort Bend Star that Gates was in Orlando for a business trip. But according to Gates himself, the only reason the business meeting happen was because he was in the state already.
“I told (the source) that I was going to take advantage to meet with one of my major vendors who’s home office is here,” Gates said. “I was able to visit with them and have dinner with their office personnel.”
The Houston Chronicle spoke to one of his constituents.
“It really would have been nice to have a state representative helping on the ground, working at a warming center, packing food, etc. rather than immediately (flying) off on a private plane when the going got tough,” said Brian Walz. “My neighbors didn’t get to do that when her pipe burst.”
The newspaper noted the similarities to the Ted Cruz scandal.
“The chastisement of Gates is similar to that of Sen. Ted Cruz, who was seen boarding a flight for Cancun on Thursday,” the Houston Chronicle noted. “His critics pointed out the similarities as well. ‘I guess Gates took Senator Cruz’s lead,’ one Facebook user wrote.”
