Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Cancun—er, Canada—or rather Texas has long been thought to be one of the most reviled people in Congress by his own fellow Republicans, no less.
Count former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner as one of the many fellow GOP pols who absolutely cannot stand the guy. So much so Boehner added an aside to his audiobook telling Senator Cruz "go f**k yourself."
In a tweet, Boehner claimed the anti-Cruz rant was inspired by too much wine.
But the former Speaker has a long history of antipathy toward his former colleague.
Boehner's kiss-off to Cruz came during the recording of the audio version of his forthcoming memoir, On the House: A Washington Memoir.
As the title suggests, the book covers Boehner's tenure representing the state of Ohio in the House of Representatives, where he was Speaker from 2011 until his resignation in 2015 following an ouster within the Republican party led by Cruz.
According to reporting by Axios, Boehner has been peppering the audiobook recording with asides from his inner monologue. The full context isn't known, but one of those asides centered on Senator Cruz.
According to sources who were present, Boehner's full quote was:
"Oh, and Ted Cruz, go f**k yourself."
But lest you think Boehner's antipathy springs from Cruz's recent Cancun debacle, think again.
Boehner has a long history of hating Cruz, whom he once called "Lucifer in the flesh." Among the more famous quotes by Republicans expressing dislike for Cruz came from Boehner at a speaking engagement at Stanford University during the 2016 presidential primaries.
Of Cruz, Boehner said:
"I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life."
But if you assume Boehner's hatred is just sour grapes, think again.
Scores of Republicans have gone on record as reviling Senator Cruz, from Senators Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul to former Representative Peter King, who once said he'd "take cyanide" if Cruz won the Republican primary in 2016.
On Twitter, people were loving Boehner's Ted Cruz roast.
Cruz of course responded in the mature manner he's known for.
Speaking today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Cruz quipped, "[W]ho's John Boehner?"
Your move, former Speaker.