Sen. Ted Cruz visits Israel with GOP delegation seen in photo with Prime Minister Netanyahu

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1/11/13, "Sen. Ted Cruz visits Israel with GOP Leader Mitch McConnell; first official overseas trip, 2d trip to Israel in a month," Dallas Morning News, Todd. J. Gillman

"Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with a GOP delegation meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. From left: Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, Cruz, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Netanyahu, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso. (Ted Cruz twitterpic)"

"A week after taking office, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz headed to Israel on an unannounced congressional delegation trip, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Cruz posted a photo on his Twitter account this afternoon, showing himself, McConnell and other freshmen Republican senators meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces Jan. 22 elections.

Cruz’s office did not announce the trip and would not confirm Thursday that he was headed overseas. (The DMN caught wind that he was heading to Israel and asked. We also wondered why Cruz, who rarely holds back on sharing his opinions, didn’t weigh in on President Barack Obama’s nomination of chief of staff Jack Lew to replace Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.)

The itinerary likely includes Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during a photo op with McConnell at the U.S. Capitol earlier this week, let slip that McConnell would be visiting his country in a few days. Karzai just finished a news conference with Obama at the White House, and mentioned that he’s heading home tonight.

Cruz, who took office Jan. 3, is a new member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and this was his second trip in a month to Israel."...


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