Ted Cruz says “let’s stop attacking pedophiles”

Ted Cruz says “let’s stop attacking pedophiles”

On September 30, 2025, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas made a remark that included the phrase “let’s stop attacking pedophiles.”

The statement occurred while Cruz was responding to remarks by Senator Cory Booker about bipartisan cooperation on crime policy. Cruz listed a series of crimes he said lawmakers should unite in opposing and concluded with the comment “let’s stop attacking pedophiles.”

Cruz did not immediately correct or retract the phrase during the hearing and continued discussing other topics, including crime statistics related to deployments of the National Guard in Washington.

A spokesperson for Cruz’s office later described the phrasing as a verbal slip, stating that Cruz intended to oppose crimes including pedophilia but inadvertently added the word “attacking.”