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Ted Cruz Fires Back Against Misrepresentation, Defends Prosecuting James Gunn If He Sexually Assaulted A Child

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Molly Prince Politics Reporter
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Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz defended calling for filmmaker James Gunn to be prosecuted if Gunn’s tweets mocking child sexual assault turned out to reflect actual instances of pedophilia.

After The Daily Caller News Foundation unearthed multiple tweets from Gunn regarding rape and pedophilia, Cruz weighed in Saturday.

“Wow. These James Gunn tweets are just horrible. Child rape is no laughing matter,” he wrote in a tweet. “As Texas [Solicitor General], I handled far too many child sexual assaults. Truly evil.”

The Texas senator also called for Gunn to face prosecution if the “tweets are true.”

Cruz’s response was met with backlash after his original stance was distorted to suggest the Texas senator was calling for Gunn to be prosecuted over his free speech, rather than his actions. Entertainment outlet Vulture wrote “Ted Cruz Thinks James Gunn Should Be Prosecuted For Those Marvel-Terminating Tweets.” Comic book website CBR published “Senator Ted Cruz Thinks James Gunn Should Be Prosecuted For His Tweets,” and even Law And Crime ran with “Why Does Ted Cruz Hate The First Amendment To The United States Constitution?”

The senator addressed the misrepresentation Monday by firing back on Twitter. (RELATED: After Attacking Conservatives, Disney Filmmaker’s Tweets Reveal Racism, Homophobia And Assault Against Children)

When one Twitter user asserted Cruz was calling for Gunn’s prosecution over “bad jokes,” he countered, saying “this is a non sequitur. Several of his tweets refer directly to his having had sex with children. Yes, his speech is protected, but any criminal actions are not.”

“If [Gunn is] telling the truth — if he has in fact molested young children — then he should be prosecuted. Now,” Cruz continued, clarifying his original position.

Cruz also defended himself against a CNN reporter who accused the senator of trying to get “support for his future ambitions” by flattering “those on the right who dug [the tweets] up.”

Cruz questioned the reporter on his knowledge of the validity of the joke and explained “several tweets refer directly to his having sex [with] kids. If someone tweets confessing to a crime (repeatedly), it should be investigated.”

“If [Gunn is] telling the truth — if he has in fact molested young children — then he should be prosecuted,” he wrote.

The Hill also misinterpreted the senator, tweeting out a piece with the text “Ted Cruz: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director should be prosecuted for offensive tweets.”

Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for Cruz, reached out to the publication and the error was corrected.

“Cruz later clarified that he meant Gunn should be prosecuted if there is evidence that he engaged in rape or pedophilia, not that he should be prosecuted for the tweets,” The Hill reported.

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