John Boehner on Ted Cruz: 'Lucifer in the Flesh'

It's not every day Satan himself makes it into the news cycle.

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner visited Stanford on April 27 to chat about his time in Washington, D.C., but the conversation quickly turned to what he thinks of the current Republican presidential candidates.

The Stanford Daily reports that David M. Kennedy, the faculty director interviewing Boehner, urged the former speaker to be frank, since the event was not being broadcasted. Boehner seems to have indulged his moderator, and thankfully the Stanford Daily has the scoop.

When asked what he thought of Ted Cruz, Boehner turned the Bible for inspiration.

“Lucifer in the flesh,” he called the senator from Texas. “I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”

Whew.

Turns out Boehner shares his style of condemning worldly power with the prophet Isaiah, who also once called a powerful man, "Lucifer." Encouraging the nation of Israel during the Babylonian captivity, Isaiah writes of their oppressor, King Nebuchadnezzar:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. — KJV Isaiah 14:12-13

Boehner wasn't quite so colorful in his description of the other candidates.

The Stanford Daily reports:

Boehner described other Republican candidates as friends. In particular, the former speaker said he has played golf with Donald Trump for years and that they were “texting buddies.”

His friendship with Ohio Governor John Kasich, however, was a little more ambiguous.

“[Kasich] requires more effort on my behalf than all my other friends … but he’s still my friend, and I love him,” Boehner said.

Boehner for the most part accepted Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee, though he did express his surprise at the candidate’s success. While he did not praise Trump’s policies, the Speaker did say he would vote for Trump in the general election if he becomes the Republican nominee. The former Speaker said he would not, however, vote for Cruz.

There you have it. John Boehner is texting buddies with Trump, reluctant friends with Kasich, and just thinks Ted Cruz is the devil.

Read more at The Stanford Daily.