Ted Cruz Coughs Up to Smoking Pot

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, known for brandishing his staunchly conservative views, coughed up to smoking marijuana as a teenager, NBC News has confirmed.

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas waits his turn as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee question President Barack Obama's Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. If confirmed, Lynch would replace Attorney General Eric Holder, who announced his resignation in September after leading the Justice Department for six years. She is now the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. This is the first nomination hearing under the new Republican majority. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP

Feb. 3, 2015, 10:53 PM UTC / Updated Feb. 3, 2015, 10:53 PM UTC

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, known for brandishing his staunchly conservative views, coughed up to smoking marijuana as a teenager, NBC News has confirmed.

A spokesperson told the Daily Mail on Tuesday that the potential 2016 presidential candidate tried it in his teens, but did not elaborate on how many times.

“When he was a teenager, he foolishly experimented with marijuana. It was a mistake, and he's never tried it since,” a spokesman told the paper.

The Daily Mail attempted to survey 10 Republicans considering a White House run, and Cruz was the only one to offer a new admission. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has also said he smoked marijuana in high school.

-- Frank Thorp V