September 12, 2017

Ted Cruz Tries to Explain Why His Twitter Account Liked an Explicit Porn Video

“It was a staffing issue.”

Tom Williams/ZUMA

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A late-night Republican Twitter happening is making headlines this morning—and it’s got nothing do with Donald Trump.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz became the subject of a series of awkward jokes—and collective revulsion—late on Monday, after his Twitter account was seen liking an explicit porn video from the account @SexuallPosts. The video, which is NSFW and can be viewed here, featured a woman walking into her sun-drenched home to discover two strangers casually having sex on a couch. The woman then proceeds to masturbate to the unexpected scene unfolding in her living room.

With the jokes pouring in, Catherine Frazier, a communications adviser for Cruz, took to her own account to say that the like had been removed and reported. Her statement appeared to suggest the activity was the result of a hack.

But many on Twitter questioned who would hack into an account merely to like such an explicit video. 

The overnight Twitter action comes with some irony: While serving as Texas solicitor general, Cruz argued in a long-running federal trial that the use of sex toys was tantamount to “hiring a willing prostitute or engaging in consensual bigamy.” While running for president in 2016, he decried Trump’s “New York values.”

Update, 11:30 a.m.: Ted Cruz told reporters that a “staffing issue” caused the controversy. He said, “It was inadvertent. It was a mistake, it was not a deliberate action.” 

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