The Nigerian government is demanding an apology from Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) after he joked last week that the new Affordable Care Act exchange website was being run by Nigerian email scammers, Politico reports. (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/nigerian-ambassador-ted-cruz-98814.html)
Ambassador Ade Adefuye told Politico that Nigerians are "disappointed and shocked" by the remarks (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/nigerian-ambassador-ted-cruz-98814.html#ixzz2ifrkWceT), adding that Cruz "should not denigrate Nigerians in order to appease these domestic constituents." The ambassador the statement "was a joke that went too far, and we demand an apology."
The Houston Chronicle reported on Monday that, before a crowd of tea party supporters, Cruz knocked the new health care system (http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/At-home-in-Houston-Cruz-continues-fight-against-4915016.php): "You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately. They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website."
A spokeswoman for Cruz told Politico (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/nigerian-ambassador-ted-cruz-98814.html) the remarks were made jokingly and were not intended to offend Nigerians.
Cruz has been a leading figure in the Republican effort to block (http://www.cruz.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=346881) the implementation of the new health care law.
Source: Nigeria Demands An Apology From Ted Cruz (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/nigerian-ambassador-cruz_n_4159186.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=World)