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Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was widely mocked on X, formerly Twitter, after seemingly confusing California Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener with disgraced former New York Representative Anthony Weiner.
In case you've forgotten, Weiner stepped down from his congressional position in 2011 following revelations of his having sent sexually suggestive photos to various women. Subsequently, in 2017, Weiner pleaded guilty to transmitting obscene material to a minor. He was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender for life.
Cruz and Scott Wiener crossed paths on X after Wiener called out Islamophobic reactions to President Joe Biden's judicial nominee, Adeel A. Mangi, a partner in a New York law firm who if confirmed would be the first Muslim American judge on the federal appellate bench.
Wiener called out Cruz for asking Mangi during a Senate hearing about Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel, saying Cruz's behavior toward Mangi is "no different than grilling a Jewish nominee about Israel's conduct" during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Wiener pointed out that these questions are only being directed at the "Muslim nominee."
You can see his post below.
In response to criticism from Wiener, Cruz posted a tweet seemingly accusing him of being Weiner, writing:
"Wait, I thought this guy was thrown out of Congress for sending naked pictures of himself?"
You can see his post below.
However, Cruz's attempt to discredit Wiener quickly backfired when Wiener reminded him of their shared history at Harvard Law School in the 1990s.
Wiener also highlighted Cruz's bad behavior when they were students, writing:
"Ted, remember when we went to law school together & everyone hated you?"
You can see his post below.
Many joined Wiener in mocking Cruz.
Wiener's pointed retort served as a reminder of their past interactions, including a previous instance in 2022 when Wiener called out Cruz's behavior during Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings.
Cruz was notably antagonistic during this period, such as when he ridiculed Jackson by inquiring whether he would "have the ability to be an Asian man and challenge Harvard’s discrimination" in a dig at affirmative action policies designed to improve employment or educational opportunities for underrepresented groups.
Cruz was also admonished by colleagues for his conduct and was criticized after taking out his phone and checking his Twitter mentions to see if the moment had begun to trend online, an action confirmed by reporters tasked with covering Jackson's confirmation hearing.
At the time, Wiener noted that Jackson was a law school classmate remembered for being "nice [and] brilliant" whereas Cruz was known to be "a major jackass."