When you’ve clerked there, especially for the chief justice, you’re in with the in crowd.
I actually think it’s Roberts. It’s no minor trash-talk speculating on SCOTUS dish/dirt, that’s a career-ending move if you’re wrong, and if there’s evidence Roberts succumbed to being leaned on, oh well.
It’s not like Cruz is hubristic, betting on death pools. He’s been nested up in SCOTUS since he was 25, and is confident enough to risk it all on... vengeance on Judiciary corruption?