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Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz Defends Dildos on CNN, Calls Himself 'One of the Most Libertarian Members of the Senate'

Cruz is walking back earlier support for sex-toy sales bans after his account liked a porn tweet on Twitter Tuesday.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 9.13.2017 6:01 PM

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modified from Robin Jerstad/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is walking back earlier support for sex-toy sales bans after a "staffer" liked a porn tweet on Twitter Tuesday morning.

Cruz's account liking the porn-clip, from the account @SexuallPosts, was quickly picked up by folks on Twitter. On Wednesday, Cruz went on CNN to talk about the faux-pas, which he attributed to an unnamed communications staffer who made a mistake.

When Bash asked about his earlier support for a Texas law banning the sale of sex toys, Cruz called the law "stupid" and said he was just doing his duty.

"I worked for the attorney general," said Cruz. "The attorney general's job is to defend the laws passed by the Texas legislature. One of those laws was a law restricting the sale of sex toys, which is a stupid law."

"Consenting adults should be able to do whatever they want in their bedrooms," Cruz continued, going so far as to suggest he is "one of the most libertarian members of the Senate."

This is—just in case anyone needs a reminder—patently false; Cruz's "libertarianism" is opportunistic, and he turns it on and off as it suits him. But for now, at least, we can all enjoy watching Cruz squirm.

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NEXT: Did Arizona Fund Medicaid Expansion With an Unconstitutional Tax? Supreme Court Will Decide.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason.

Ted CruzSexPornographyNanny State
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