Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says the actions of a Dallas hair salon owner who fought back against restrictive lockdown orders to open her business reminds him of a famous scene from the film Braveheart.
On Friday, Cruz visited Shelly Luther’s Salon A la Mode in Dallas and was filmed getting his hair cut while wearing a mask. Luther, who was sentenced to seven days in jail and fined more than $3,000 for reopening her salon days before stay-at-home orders were lifted in the state, was released by the Supreme Court of Texas on Thursday.
“What happened to Shelly Luther was a disgrace, and I felt embarrassed for my home state of Texas, that this happened in Texas,” Cruz said during an appearance with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This is America. The citizens don’t have to apologize to elected officials. We work for you. And it was embarrassing and wrong.”
Cruz said he was “proud” of Luther for practicing civil disobedience in the face of government overreach before the Texas statesman and Hannity remarked on how her actions reminded them of a film about rebellion.
“It reminded me of William Wallace,” said Hannity. “Remember, Braveheart, the end when they’re about to kill him?”
“In some of the toughest battles in the Senate, when conservatives were outnumbered and beleaguered, Mike Lee, my good friend, has texted me that clip,” said Cruz before kicking his head back and yelling “Freedom” in a nod to the Mel Gibson-directed film.
