Houston Chronicle: “While millions of Texans languished in their homes last week without heat, many of them racking up astronomical electricity bills, the state official in charge of consumer protection left to take an out-of-state trip. According to a campaign spokesman, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton left the state during the middle of the power outage crisis to meet with a fellow attorney general in Utah for a ‘previously planned meeting.’ The revelation marks the third instance of a Texas public official leaving the state during the disaster that affected nearly every one of the state’s 254 counties. Last week, photos emerged showing that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Mexico on Wednesday after losing power at his Houston home – a move he’s since said was ‘obviously a mistake’ – and state Rep. Gary Gates, R-Richmond, traveled to Florida on a private jet.”