The bad news keeps coming for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
In addition to Senate Democrats filing an ethics complaint against him and asking for an investigation into the whether he “engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior” in connection to last month’s insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, a federal watchdog group for pandemic relief funding is requesting information about his efforts to change a federal loan program to benefit two of his biggest donors.
The Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program offered loans to businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. Shortly after the program was announced, Cruz sent a request to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin urging them to change two of the requirements for the program.
As a result, the changes were made, and two of Cruz’s biggest financial contributors, billionaire brothers Farris and Dan Wilks, secured a $35 million federally-backed loan.
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Related: Antigay private school where Karen Pence teaches raked in tons of money in COVID relief
Brian D. Miller, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, recently requested the Treasury Department hand over communications from Cruz’s office to better understand what happened and what the rationale was behind changing the loan program.
“While the recent reporting does not allege misconduct, it does concern the management of investments made by the Secretary under the CARES [Act]–an area of core jurisdiction for the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery,” Miller wrote in his letter to a Treasury Department lawyer.
In other Cruz news, political groups have amplified their calls on him to resign. This week, a 30-second TV spot blaming him for the events of January 6 began airing in both Texas and Washington. In addition to that, billboards have been erected near the antigay senator’s office in downtown Dallas calling for him to be expelled from Congress.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Kinkslola
Love it! Maybe he can share a cell with Trump and be his beatch slave.
Josh447
And so goes the Republican party.
woodroad34
I doubt it….Trump would think that, like Cruz’s wife, he’d be too ugly. Probably Trump would use him as a footstool with a leather collar and mask–maybe a thong for good measure.
ElPillo
Disgusting image that I can’t wash of my head.
Celtic
I have watched the Republican Party devolve into a sinister, anti-American cabal. Never would I have believed that one of our two political parties would in fact become the domestic enemy of our Republic. They are traitors to their core.
lambchopp59
I’ve been watching the sinister, racist, swindling Republican anti-American cabal greedily grab our tax dollars shunting it all ever upwards for half a century now. The only difference is they’ve become completely blatantly reprehensible about their worst impulses, all while utilizing the same old “in the name of Jeebus God trick they’ve bamboozled the “evangelicals” ever since the “moral majority”, which was neither. They’ve pushed the Overton window so far right with their “fear of socialism” bullshit, many can’t even recognize the socialist infrastructure and programs they utilize and depend on every day.
Just that a great portion of this nation needs to get a hell of a lot more street-wise about these political jackals. Not that I’m any great fan of the Democrats either, but damn, Suzie, Republicans can shove all that doublespeak right back up the shit chute it emerges from.
RandomGuy
Does Ted still think his orange daddy will save him and his fellow traitor that smarmy creep Josh Hawley?
Josh447
The Republican party has never gotten over the blood they shed by having their slaves removed, and they will lie cheat steal and fight to the death for power to be right against all others opinions,
as they look at democrats as lower human beings worthy only of replacing their lost slaves.
njmj
Slaves removed? What are you referring to?
Den
In Civil War times the parties occupied opposite positions. Southern Democrats supported slavery, Northern Democrats opposed slavery in new territories and states. The Republican Party was formed to oppose slavery and the first candidate they nominated for President was Lincoln.
In the early 20th century Northern Democrats began to take control of the Democratic party and began to work for civil rights, and more and more of the Southerners turned to the Republican party. The switch was complete by the 1960’s with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. The modern republican party, given the opportunity would certainly turn back the clock as far as they could reinstating Jim Crow laws, Blue Laws and anything else they could do to make assure white’s retain power. But in the time of slavery they were the opposition party
Heywood Jablowme
@Den: Your timeline is a little premature. There were still a lot of (northern) Republicans in the 1960s who were pro-civil rights, and a LOT of white southern Democrats who opposed the bills you mention. The party rearrangement was later in the ’70s.
kevininbuffalo
The Republican Party was founded to abolish slavery. As far as I can see that was the last time they cared about poor, oppressed people.
cuteguy
Idk why the Dems are not better at messaging? They are given the gift of this m0ron Cruz and that kkk white trash Majorie Taylor Biggot. The GQP should by synonymous with Q’anon by now and not just by niche demographics. The GQP were able to convince the Cubans in south Florida that the Dems are synonymous with Fidel Castro and that’s what helped Trump and fellow Republicans win the state. Yet it was Trump who acted like a dictator. BLM, Defund the police. The Dems are failing miserably at messaging and that’s how we got a tyrant like trump in the first place
HenryCameron
How did Trump act like a dictator?
Cam
@HenryCameron
LOL!!! Wow, THAT’S the best you have troll? We get it, you think by putting up your little rainbow flag it will fool people into thinking you aren’t an anti-LGBTQ troll account here to defend bigots.
Bob
Now don’t forget Hillary. A lot of people saw those two on the ballot and said ‘How bad could he be???’ Foresight would have been great.
HenryCameron
@Cam People usually attack the questioner when they can’t answer the question and want to deflect attention. After 4 years I would think that a solid objective list of Trump’s dictatorial actions would be easy to produce, so I’d really like to know if people have some actual basis for saying that Trump acted like a dictator or if it’s just part of the narrative they hear and repeat.
Fahd
Stopped believing that people who vote for Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley or whoever else in this cast of demons are just somehow uninformed and just need to find out the truth about these evil people. The deep-seated prejudices that these wannabe demagogues exploit need to be addressed. Meanwhile the threat from right wing extremists (e,g, Proudboyz) needs to be acknowledged and steps taken to disarm and dissolve them. These groups can and should be infiltrated and the criminals and traitors among them prosecuted. How else to save the republic from lowlifes like Cruz and Hawley? Keep investigating!
strap2900
I believe the people that support Cruz, Hawley, and Trump are worse than them. I no longer speak with former friends who support them. There is no way anyone can be of good character and stand behind these people.
BoomerMyles
Cruz is shameless. The only thing that can stop him is a stake through his heart.