US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a former presidential candidate, has weighed in on the James Gunn controversy, saying he needs to be prosecuted if his past tweets alluding to child molestation are true.

Cruz tweeted early on Saturday. “Wow. These #JamesGunn tweets are just horrible. Child rape is no laughing matter. As Texas SG, I handled far too many child sexual assaults. Truly evil. I’m glad Disney fired him, but if these tweets are true, he needs to be prosecuted.”

Gunn was fired by the Walt Disney Co. on Friday for the tweets, which he claims are edgy jokes that occurred many years ago before the writer/director’s Guardians of the Galaxy success. Gunn apologized for his social media history.

“I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time,” Gunn said. “Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had been slated for a 2020 release.