Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) stated he does not trust polls showing President Donald Trump in dire standing, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) expressed support for Kash Patel amid questions about Patel's past criticism of FBI Director Chris Wray's plane use, according to X posts by @atrupar timestamped between 4:15:33 PM and 4:45:25 PM UTC on February 24, 2026. Emmer directly addressed Trump's polling, saying "I don't trust these polls," in response to concerns over the president's numbers, as captured in an @atrupar X post within the 29-minute reporting window. Separately, during an exchange with CNBC's Joe Sorkin, Cruz defended Patel—Trump's nominee for FBI director—recounting Patel's 2023 criticism of Wray's alleged use of a government-funded G5 plane for vacations costing $15,000 per takeoff, according to another @atrupar post in the same window. Cruz called himself "a big fan of Kash Patel" and noted the FBI's role at the Olympics. These statements occurred amid ongoing political discussions but stand independent of earlier reports on DOJ document withholdings in Trump-related allegations or GOP internal calls for resignations, with no direct connections noted in the new sources.
