A tweet from a follower at Sasse mentioned the conspiracy theory started by Donald Trump during the 2016 primary that Cruz’s father was involved in the Kennedy Assassination, an accusation that was false. This was after Cruz tweeted a photo of the Dr. Pepper fridge in a senate break room, asking for a photo of Sasse to be posted and him not allowed to enjoy his favorite beverage.
It ended with Cruz posting a photo of a cryptic note similar to one used by the Zodiac killer in the 1970s. For several years, memes often mentioned Cruz had a resemblance to a police drawing of the killer, who was never captured.
The meme gains a following online by some who thought it was true, even though Cruz was a child when the killings were taken place, going as far to get a response from his campaign.
Considering the clout and office of Cruz and Sasse, the exchange was weird and extremely humorous and in a light not usually shown by Washington DC politicos.
After heated Sessions/Franken exchange, Ben Sasse opens up by saying he accidentally dumped a Dr. Pepper on Ted Cruz
— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) October 18, 2017
MEMO TO OFFICE:
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 18, 2017
Please place a picture of @BenSasse above the @drpepper fridge in our lobby.
He is now cut off. https://t.co/C9tj5wQ6tD pic.twitter.com/6PH6HCFSoJ
full disclosure:
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) October 18, 2017
i was wearing my "Lee Harvey Oswald Was Framed" t-shirt https://t.co/93lKIizkVO
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 18, 2017
Cruz was criticized after his account liked a pornographic tweet several weeks ago. He blamed the social media faux paus on a staffing issue.
Last year he revealed his comedic skills when he suggested a regular basketball game for senators to get to know each other better; Cruz had a rough reputation as an agitator since he came to the Senate and was working to build camraderie, especially with fellow Republicans.
When Deadspin asked for photos of him playing basketball, doubting he ever played the game, the senator replied to the site on Twitter with a photo of Duke guard Grayson Allen and the text, “What do I win?”. Allen is yet another person whose likeness to Cruz was a hot online subject, as was Allen’s controversial reputation after he tripped several opponents during last year’s college basketball season.
While most enjoyed the senator’s clever riposte, the then Gawker-owned Deadspin tweeted back an epithet at Cruz.
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