'His OWN FRIENDS hate him': Shock after Cruz text messages leaked to the NYT
Republican Ted Cruz. (Facebook)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was ridiculed online after a "friend" leaked Cancun trip text messages to The New York Times.

"Text messages sent from Ms. Cruz to friends and Houston neighbors on Wednesday revealed a hastily planned trip. Their house was 'FREEZING,' as Ms. Cruz put it — and she proposed a getaway until Sunday. Ms. Cruz invited others to join them at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancún, where they had stayed "many times," noting the room price this week ($309 per night) and its good security. The text messages were provided to The New York Times and confirmed by a second person on the thread, who declined to be identified because of the private nature of the texts," the newspaper reported.

"For more than 12 hours after the airport departure photos first emerged, Mr. Cruz's office declined to comment on his whereabouts. The Houston police confirmed that the senator's office had sought their assistance for his airport trip on Wednesday, and eventually Mr. Cruz was spotted wheeling his suitcase in Mexico on Thursday as he returned to the state he represents in the Senate," the newspaper noted. "As the Cruzes were away, millions of Texans were still without electricity, many had no running water and the icy air that swept into the state was so severe that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had been activated to send supplies, including generators."

Here's some of what people were saying: