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In yet another incident of politicians falling for social media misinformation, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz shared a tweet on Monday that took a snippet of video out of context, leading to a misleading narrative about the border wall.
The tweet featured footage showing a section of the border wall appearing to be welded open, with a caption alleging that the Biden administration deliberately left the wall open as part of a strategic plan.
The original tweet claimed:
"The Biden administration welded open the Trump border wall in Tucson, AZ. It’s not a crisis. It’s by design."
Cruz retweeted the post, adding his own commentary that echoed the sentiment, calling the situation "nuts" and placing the blame on President Joe Biden.
You can see Cruz's tweet below.
Versions of the misleading message have been circulating within right-wing media circles, contributing to the perpetuation of the false narrative.
However, a crucial detail that emerged in an X Community Note appended to the original tweet casts the situation in a different light:
"These are floodgates that are required to be opened during Arizona’s monsoon season. If left closed, the force of flash floods caused by seasonal rain and the debris they carry would topple the border wall."
"This practice was also done during the Trump administration."
Many have mocked Cruz for his gaffe.
This is the second time in the last week that Cruz has made headlines for falling for misinformation.
Earlier, the Texas Republican was mocked online after he fell for a an old photoshopped image of a shark supposedly swimming along a flooded 405 freeway in Los Angeles that circulated as Tropical Stom Hilary lashed Southern California.
Cruz retweeted the photo with a caption expressing surprise, only to be swiftly corrected by internet users who recognized the image as a variation of a hoax that has been circulating online since 2011.
Cruz later admitted he fell for a hoax.