Ted Cruz Misspeaks in Senate: ‘Stop Attacking Pedophiles’ Goes Viral

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 30, Sen. Ted Cruz made a verbal slip that quickly went viral online.

The Texas Republican was responding to comments from Sen. Cory Booker, who called for bipartisan efforts to address crime. Cruz agreed, saying, “How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop murders.’ How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop rapes.’ How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop attacking pedophiles.’”

It was that final line that raised questions. Cruz did not correct the remark during the hearing but instead moved on with his comments.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Cruz clarified that the senator misspoke. “It was a verbal slip,” the spokesperson said. “Senator Cruz was rattling off a series of crimes we should unite in opposing, started a sentence about opposing pedophilia, and added a stray word while talking it out.”

The timing of the gaffe drew additional attention due to ongoing public interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case. As PEOPLE reports, Epstein’s alleged victims have recently urged Congress to release more documents.

So far, the Trump administration has released over 33,000 pages of files, but critics, including Rep. Robert Garcia, claim that key evidence remains sealed. Trump, who previously befriended Epstein, has distanced himself and promised full transparency during his 2024 campaign.