Former Speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner Criticizes Ted Cruz

John Boehner, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republican Party, has severely criticized Ted Cruz, a candidate from the same party in the intra-party competition for the presidential election. Boehner referred to Cruz as the 'embodiment of the devil' and stated that for him to become President of the United States, 'he must pass over my dead body.' Boehner, a Republican Speaker of the House, stepped down from this position last year and handed over his role to Paul Ryan, another party member. Ted Cruz is the main rival of Donald Trump, the controversial frontrunner in the Republican primaries for the 2016 presidential election. He has recently allied with John Kasich, another competitor in the party's primary election, to stop Trump’s progress. Boehner's comments were made during a public speech at Stanford University and have been widely reported in the media and on social networks. He noted about Cruz, 'I have friends from both Democrats and Republicans... I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a miserable creature like him in my life.' In response to Boehner's widely circulated remarks, Cruz referred to controversial comments made by Donald Trump, stating, 'Boehner's inner Trump has come out.' Cruz told his supporters, 'When Boehner calls me the devil, he is not talking about me, but directly about you.' According to Cruz, the former Speaker of the House is angry with him because 'I stand with the American people.' Boehner has also expressed interest in Trump, the controversial Republican candidate, and Kasich, the third candidate in the intra-party competition. Some Republican critics of Cruz expressed their agreement with Boehner’s statements shortly after they were released. Peter King, a congressman from New York, told CNN that many Republicans, even with an 'unpleasant alternative like Trump,' still have no interest in supporting Cruz. AFP reports that Cruz is seen as one of the 'most inflexible' members of the party, and critics from both parties hold him responsible for the government shutdown in 2013.