Texas newspaper calls for 'cynical' Ted Cruz's resignation in scathing editorial

The editorial board for the Houston Chronicle is now calling for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to resign from office after he led Republican efforts to invalidate the Electoral College certification.

The Chronicle, a stark critic of the Texas senator, published an editorial expressing concern about his role in the spread of misinformation about the presidential election which ultimately contributed to Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol.

While Cruz insists he has been on the right side of history by backing Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, the publication argues that he "knew exactly what he was doing, what he was risking and who he was inciting as he stood on the Senate floor Wednesday and passionately fed the farce of election fraud even as a seething crowd of believers was being whipped up by President Trump a short distance away."

Describing Cruz's actions as a "cynical gamble," the publication insists that the Republican senator "peddled his phony concern for the integrity of our elections, he argued that senators who voted to certify Biden's victory would be telling tens of millions of Americans to 'jump in a lake' and that their concerns don't matter."

The editorial board also offered a direct request for Cruz making their concerns quite clear. "We're done with the drama. Done with the opportunism. Done with the cynical scheming that has now cost American lives," the editorial continued, adding, "Resign, Mr. Cruz, and deliver Texas from the shame of calling you our senator."

The Houston Chronicle's request for Cruz's resignation comes one day after the senator's interview on Friday. Despite criticism, Cruz defended his actions as he insisted opted to investigate Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud to "reestablish widespread trust in the system."

"What happened at the Capitol was a despicable act of terrorism," Cruz said in the interview with Hearst Newspapers. "The violent criminals who attacked the Capitol should be fully prosecuted and they should go to jail for a very, very long time."

Regardless of Cruz's claims, his decision to challenge the Electoral College certification came after Trump had nearly five dozen post-election lawsuits tossed out of court. As for the U.S Capitol siege, Cruz did admit that Trump's rhetoric "certainly contributed to the violence that occurred."