In Texas, Al Franken keeps jabbing at Ted Cruz

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AUSTIN - U.S. Sen. Al Franken continued his months-long attacks on U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, showing no signs of easing up even as he sat in the Texas Senator's home state.

During an hour-long speech at the University of Texas Friday night, the Minnesota Democrat told more than 1,000 people packed in an auditorium that Cruz is "awful," like "a toxic co-worker" and someone whose "word is not good."

His words didn't come as a surprise given that Franken's book released in May included an entire chapter on how much he dislikes Cruz.

"I probably like Ted Cruz more than most of my colleagues like Ted Cruz, and I hate Ted Cruz," Franken said, nearly repeating a line from his book "Al Franken: Giant of the Senate."

Cruz has said little publicly back at Franken since the book came out.

"Al is trying to sell books and apparently he's decided that being obnoxious and insulting me is good for causing liberals to buy his books," Cruz told Politico shortly after the release. "I wish him all the best."

Franken, who was in Austin as part of a three-day political festival put on by the Texas Tribune, said one of his beefs with Cruz is that the senator made no efforts to get along and started offending people right away.

"He's awful," Franken said. "And he never gets anything done because of that."

Franken offered himself in contrast, saying when he was first elected in 2008 he intentionally didn't make waves and tried be more "workhorse" than "show horse." Despite the comedian's fame as a comedian and former Saturday Night Live personality, he said he avoided the national spotlight.

"It was incumbent upon me to show the people of Minnesota I was there for a serious purpose," Franken said.

Franken's book and his more vocal role in the U.S. Senate have provoked speculation that Franken could be among those competing for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. But Franken left little doubt that he doesn't want the job after the crowd roared at the prospect of him running.

"No, I'm sorry, no," Franken said. "I don't want to be president."

While Franken unloaded on Cruz, he insisted he has no problems working with most other Republicans. Without provocation, Franken said he has worked with Texas Sen. John Cornyn on issues like mental health and criminal justice.

But Franken, after praising Cornyn, quickly deadpanned to the crowd: "But don't vote for him."

While most members can work together, Cruz is an exception to the rule, Franken said.

Franken also has plenty of criticism for President Donald Trump, the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and any notion that Congress is going to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Especially since hurricanes devastated Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, Congress has bigger issues to be worried about, he said.

"Considering what happened here in Texas with Harvey and what happened with Irma and what happened in Puerto Rico, there's no appetite to pay $25 billion, or whatever it is, for this wall," Franken said.