Montana airport calls police on Republican Senator Ted Cruz after he missed the check-in window for his flight and was told he was busy to rebook a flight during spring break.
- The incident has been compared to Cruz’s attempt to flee Texas for Cancun, Mexico last February, as millions of his constituents struggled with a power crisis.
- It’s unclear why the Republican senator was in Montana over the weekend.
- He was scheduled to return to Capitol Hill today for the first day of the confirmation hearing for Ketanji Supreme Court nominee Joe Biden Brown Jackson.
- The airport told that a member of public security “was at the ticket office and asked to help with an upset passenger.”
- The officer apparently didn’t realize it was Cruz until the incident happened.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) got into a confrontation with Montana airport employees that escalated so much that law enforcement had to intervene, a new video showed on Sunday.
Cruz was spotted at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport shortly after noon on Sunday, apparently annoyed that he missed his flight, according to the Reddit user who first shared the short clip.
The user who posted the video stated that Cruz said something along the lines of “Do you know who I am?”
An airport spokesman confirmed to that a “disappointed” Cruise missed the check-in window for his flight, and that rebooking options were “limited due to spring break.”
According to Bozeman airport deputy director Scott Humphrey, Cruise was able to rebook tickets and fly out the same evening.
It’s not clear what Cruz or the airport staff were saying in the short clip. The Texas Republican wore a mask in accordance with federal COVID-19 guidelines.
At various points in the 23-second video, Cruz is seen arguing with airline workers and then with a law enforcement officer. A spokesman for Bozeman Airport told that an officer was called to deal with a “disappointed passenger” but didn’t know it was Cruz until the incident happened.
In the 23-second video, apparently filmed from behind an employee’s desk in the airport’s main lobby, Cruz is seen vigorously nodding his head in obvious annoyance. His mouth is covered by a mask that reads “Come and get it” in reference to the Second Amendment.
He is shown face to face with two co-workers in the first half of the clip. They are then replaced by one male law enforcement officer.
Bozeman’s deputy director told that the officer who spoke to Cruz had no idea who he was until the incident was over.
“One of our Public Safety Officers (PSOs) was at the ticket office and was asked to help an upset passenger at the United ticket counter (which is not unusual). A passenger missed the check-in window for their flight and rebooking opportunities outside of Bozeman were limited due to spring break,” Humphrey said.
Cruz has not yet commented on the incident and did not respond to ‘s request for comment.
“After the travel options were explained to the passenger, he was rebooked and left Bozeman late in the evening. Our public safety department only realized they were dealing with Senator Cruz after the fact. If you need more information, please contact United Airlines.”
The lawmaker was scheduled to return to Washington on Monday for a multi-day Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Cruz has yet to comment on the incident. has reached out to his office for comment.
It’s unclear why the senator was in Bozeman over the weekend, but Raw Story, which first reported on the video, noted that the city frequently hosts GOP fundraisers and other events.
Cruz was ridiculed online following the incident, which was compared to his infamous attempt to flee to Cancun, Mexico, while millions of his Texas voters were left without power due to historically cold winter temperatures.
The senator and his wife, Heidi, were seen boarding a flight to the tropical country last February, during a deadly Texas energy crisis.
His standoff at the Bozeman airport has been compared to Cruz’s attempt to flee Texas for Cancun last February, as millions of his constituents struggled with a deadly power crisis.
The quick and tough backlash prompted Cruise to release a statement claiming that he had flown to Mexico to be a “good father” to his daughters and would return the next day, though it is not clear if he intended to stay longer.
“Ted Cruz goes crazy at the Montana airport, probably because he’s not at the bigger, warmer Cancun airport,” journalist and political commentator Grant Stern joked on Twitter on Monday.
Sportscaster Keith Olbermann criticized Cruz for “insulting” airport staff.
“Thus @TedCruz apparently abused airline employees at Bozeman, Montana Airport so uncontrollably that law enforcement had to intervene,” Olbermann tweeted.
Referring to Cruise’s brief vacation in Cancun, he added, “It must have been snowing.”
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