Even among his Republican colleagues, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is heavily disliked.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina infamously said that, "If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you." Former President George W. Bush said of Cruz, ""I just don't like the guy." Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona grouped Cruz in with the "wacko-birds" he lamented get the brunt of the "media megaphone."
But few despise Cruz more than Republican former House Speaker John Boehner, who once called Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh."
Boehner was recording the audiobook for his memoir On the House over glasses of wine, when reports broke that he often veered from the text to lob insults at Cruz.
Axios reported on the asides back in February, but on Friday, Axios reporter Jonathan Swan released an audio recording of one of the sessions on his Twitter.
The clip below features explicit language.
After expressing an optimistic acclaim of the American dream, Boehner said:
"I'll raise a glass to that any day. P.S., Ted Cruz, go f**k yourself."
Cruz responded to the snippet with a GIF from Mean Girls.
But even though Boehner's tenure as House Speaker continues to leave a bad taste in the mouths of Democrats, many found themselves in agreement with his stance on Cruz.
But Boehner was by no means absolved.
Boehner's memoir promises to detail previously unknown exchanges and reflections during his time in Congress.
