Ted Cruz said Thursday that former House Speaker John Boehner must have let loose his “inner Trump” when he called the Texas senator “Lucifer in the flesh.”
Boehner made the remarks at Stanford University, where he also said he “never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”
“I’ve never worked with John Boehner,” Cruz told reporters in Indiana in reply. “Truth of the matter is, I don’t know the man. I’ve met John Boehner two or three times in my life. If I have said 50 words in my life to John Boehner, I’d be surprised. And every one of them has consisted of pleasantries, ‘Good to see you Mr. Speaker.’ I’ve never had any substantive conversation with John Boehner in any respect.”
But Cruz worked with Boehner in the late 1990s, according to a Seattle Times article identifying Cruz as “Boehner’s lawyer.” Boehner was suing a Democratic congressman for a tape recording of Boehner, and the case dragged on for years, as the Washington Post reported. The Post said that “Cruz didn’t stay with Boehner’s case long.”
Cruz also told reporters in Indiana people who like Boehner would love Donald Trump as president. The senator said during the government shutdown fight of 2013, he reached out to Boehner for a meeting with him and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, but Boehner refused to meet.
“When John Boehner calls me Lucifer, he’s not directing that at me. He’s directing that at you,” Cruz said looking into the cameras. “What Boehner is angry with me for is not anything I’ve ever said to him. Haven’t said much of anything. What Boehner is angry with me for is standing with the American people, is energizing and encouraging House conservatives to stand with the American people and actually honor the commitments we make.”
Cruz noted that Trump made donations to both Boehner and former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and suggested that Trump would bring about more of the same.
“I will say this if you’re wondering who actually has stood up to Washington, I think John Boehner has made it crystal clear,” Cruz said.
