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Cruz says aide inadvertently caused his porn Twitter post

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press
Published: September 12, 2017, 9:32am
2 Photos
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2017, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the committee’s hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Cruz’s Twitter account briefly liked a hardcore pornography video on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. His spokeswoman, Catherine Black, later said the offensive tweet was removed by Cruz’s staff.
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2017, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the committee’s hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Cruz’s Twitter account briefly liked a hardcore pornography video on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. His spokeswoman, Catherine Black, later said the offensive tweet was removed by Cruz’s staff. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Photo Gallery

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz says an aide was responsible for the “like” that caused a pornographic post to briefly appear on Cruz’s Twitter feed overnight.

The Texas Republican and 2016 presidential candidate said Tuesday that several aides have access to the account and that one inadvertently posted the pornography.

Cruz told reporters that “it was a staffing issue and it was inadvertent. It was a mistake. It was not a deliberate action.”

“Liking” — which only people with access to a Twitter account are able to do — causes it to appear on one’s feed.

Cruz sought to make light of the episode, which gained widespread notice on the popular social media site.

“This is not how I envisioned waking up this morning,” Cruz said. “Although I will say that if I had known that this would trend so quickly, perhaps we should have posted something like this back during the Indiana primary.”

Cruz would not say whether he’ll fire the staff aide or deny the aide access to his social media accounts, though he noted that the aide did not act maliciously.

Cruz is seeking re-election to a second term in next year’s elections.

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