Texas Senator Ted Cruz criticized New York Times science reporter Apoorva Mandavilli on Thursday
Mandavilli had sparked outrage by tweeting: 'Someday we will stop talking about the lab leak theory and maybe even admit its racist roots'
The reporter, who mainly covers the coronavirus, swiftly deleted the tweet
In a second tweet she said the original was 'badly phrased' and said her colleagues are investigating lab leak theory
Cruz joined the outcry, writing: 'She just isn't willing to investigate or report on anything that might hurt her tender feelings'
The controversy came amid growing support for the theory that COVID-19 was developed in a Wuhan lab and the Chinese government covered up a leak