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Roskam Twitter Wars With Jake Tapper

Illinois congressman is defending his beloved deep-dish pizza

Chicago-area Reps. Peter Roskam and Randy Hultgren got into a food fight with CNN's Jake Tapper. (JM Rieger/CQ Roll Call)
Chicago-area Reps. Peter Roskam and Randy Hultgren got into a food fight with CNN's Jake Tapper. (JM Rieger/CQ Roll Call)

On Wednesday, Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., was featured in Roll Call’s Chicago-style pizza tasting  dishing on deep dish pizza. On Thursday, he was defending the city’s signature dish.  

Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Roskam tweeted that a pizza museum was coming to Chicago next month. CNN’s Jake Tapper, a Roll Call alum, responded , “doesn’t make much sense given the bread pie Chicago thinks is pizza.” And the battle was on.  

pizza tweets Roskam tweeted about the biased nature of Tapper’s response and said New York pizza consists of “pieces of paper they serve with Kraft cheese.”  

And, that’s where Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., also featured in the pizza-tasting video, got involved with some retweets supporting Roskam.  

The Capitol Lounge pop-up entrepreneurial chef Tom Madrecki, who made the pizza in Roll Call’s tasting, tweeted : “The deep dish just got 10 feet deeper @jaketapper. I’ve seen @PeterRoskam do bench curls on a pizza. Son of liberty there. Watch your words!”  

Hultgren also later tweeted names of Illinois pizza joints and Tapper responded : “.@RepHultgren @PeterRoskam here we go, bunch of Chicago pols stuffing the ballot box again… This time with thick crusted bread casseroles.”  

Chicago Politicians Talk Chicago Pizza

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Tapper, around 11 a.m., admitted he isn’t even from New York. He tweeted: “Note to those Chicagoans defending the casserole they call pizza: I am not a New Yorker so those attacks are meaningless. #PhillyStyle.” And Roskam’s witty response ? “New York pizza folds more easily than a Philadelphia sports team.”  

Then, an actor from the television show ‘The Mindy Project’ got involved. Comedian Ike Barinholtz, who plays Morgan Tookers, tweeted: “jake you are out of line sir ,” “@jaketapper has the nerve to say Deep Dish isn’t real pizza. Sad! Careful Lyin’ Jake! Lawsuit coming” and “@jaketapper stand by, I’m searching for a white supremacist who also likes deep dish so i can RT them.”  

Roskam then declared war on Tapper. He tweeted : “Only one way to settle this, @jaketapper- taste test on @CNN. I’ll bring delicious deep dish, you bring your best Philly Cheesewhiz sandwich.”  

Tapper responded  affirmatively but with the caveat that an “impartial jury” must be chosen. Roskam suggested  former Chicago Bears coach and player Mike Ditka and Chicagoans President Barack Obama and former Obama adviser David Axelrod. Hultgren tweeted that he would judge and a resounding yes to Ditka.  

Tapper ended with nothing but love for Chicago, saying that his dad was born in Hyde Park.  

   

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