Last week, Cruz’s fellow Texas senator, Republican John Cornyn, told reporters he was “skeptical” of the lawsuit’s prospects and called its implications “frightening.” But Cornyn offered praise for Cruz’s legal acumen and skills. “I can’t think of a better advocate than Senator Cruz,” he said. “As you know, he’s got great experience arguing cases before the Supreme Court of the United States as a former solicitor general of Texas. And that’s just on top of his private-sector career after he clerked for William Rehnquist on the Supreme Court.” Cruz’s “great experience” makes his support for the lawsuit all the more troubling.

Cruz’s current role as a Trump toady stands in sharp contrast with his criticism of Trump in 2016. After Trump claimed that Cruz, who was then vying with him for the Republican presidential nomination, “stole” the Iowa caucus through “fraud,” Cruz dismissed that fact-free accusation as “yet another #Trumpertantrum.” Yet here he is lending credence to the even wilder, equally unsubstantiated claims of election fraud that Trump has been pushing for more than a month.