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'Nutzo': Montana airport calls cops on Senator Ted Cruz after prolonged confrontation

Ted Cruz was involved in a confrontation with the employees of the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport on Sunday, March 20

On Sunday, March 20, Senator Ted Cruz was involved in a confrontation with the employees of the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Cruz was spotted at the Montana airport during the afternoon when the argument grew so heated that the police had to intervene. As per the user who posted the video, the Republican was irritated by missing his flight.

"Ted Cruz accosting airline employees today at BZN after missing his flight. Law enforcement had to be called when he wouldn't calm down," the Reddit post reads. Though it's not clear what Cruz or the employees were saying in the short clip, the user who posted the video said in a follow-up post, "I wasn't directly involved in the situation and I don't work for the company involved. Just happened to be in the area when it happened. I did overhear bits and pieces of the conversation and got much of the rest of the conversation from others."

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"It's not an uncommon scene at the airport. An entitled 'Karen' misses their flight and demands special treatment. They deny any wrongdoing of their own and somehow come to the conclusion that it's the airline's fault that they missed their flight. Often a verbal argument then ensues and if the passenger starts making a scene, sometimes law enforcement will come and help defuse the situation. From my understanding, that's exactly what happened here. As I said, it's not an uncommon scene. What is uncommon and unacceptable is when this behavior is displayed by an elected official. His constituents whom he represents, I'm sure, would not be impressed."

The user further said, "I've seen this situation play out a hundred times with other passengers. The airline employees handled Cruz with the same high level of professionalism and respect any other passenger would receive. He wasn't given any special treatment (positively or negatively). I commend the staff for staying cool in the moment and for not giving him special treatment."

"Perhaps my phrasing with "accosting" was a bit hyperbolic. I don't think he was directly verbally abusing airline staff. More just being an entitled prick. He did however make thinly veiled threats towards the employment of the people involved. Demanding their names and threatening to call corporate. Presumably to flex his political weight to punish the employees involved and/or receive special treatment," the post concluded.

A representative for the airport confirmed to Daily Mail that a 'frustrated' Cruz had missed the check-in window for his flight and that re-booking options were limited out of Bozeman due to Spring Break. "One of our Public Safety Officers was in the ticket lobby and was asked to assist with a frustrated passenger at the United ticket counter (which is not unusual). The passenger had missed the check-in window for his flight and re-booking options were limited out of Bozeman due to Spring Break," Scott Humphrey, Bozeman airport's deputy director, told Daily Mail.

"Once travel options were explained to the passenger, he was rebooked and departed Bozeman later that evening. Our PSO didn't realize he was dealing with Senator Cruz until after the fact. If you need more information, please contact United Airlines," Humphrey added.

Meanwhile, Internet users commented on the incident and the clip that is going viral. One tweet read, "Cops were reportedly called on Ted Cruz at Bozeman Airport for causing a disturbance after he began harassing airline staff. In other words, a grown ass man, who is also a United States senator, had police called on him for having a meltdown. Texas deserved better." Another said, "Ted Cruz getting aggro with airline counter folks is so very on-brand. Well, sir, if you don't like your flight options, we can drive you to the train station."

"Ted Cruz lost his shit at a Montana airport. Cops were called. Either he got bumped from a flight to Cancun or he's even more pissed off about Stacey Abrams being on Star Trek than we thought. Maybe if the staff called his wife ugly he would have calmed down & kissed their asses," said one user, while another wrote, "Ted Cruz (R-Cancun) berated the airline staff in Bozeman, Montana. Where was this energy when Trump called your wife ugly, @tedcruz?" A third commented, "Ted Cruz is flipping out in a Montana airport, probably because he's not in Cancun's more spacious, warm airport."

A fourth said, "Good morning to everyone except Ted Cruz who went nutzo at a Montana Airport and had to have a cop called. Apparently he was supposed to be in Cancun," while a fifth tweeted, "So @TedCruz was apparently so out-of-control abusive to airline staff at the airport in Bozeman, Montana, that law enforcement had to get involved. It must've been snowing. Video here." A sixth added, "Ted Cruz caused such a scene at an airport that the police came One person heard him say: 'Do you know who I am?' Yea we know, Big T**d. The man who wouldn't defend his wife. Who fled to Cancun while Texans died. Who killed gun reform after Sandy Hook. Who betrayed our republic."