Cruz spars with Web domain chief

Tensions flared Tuesday between presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the head of the organization that manages Internet domain names.

Earlier this month, Cruz criticized Fadi Chehadé, the CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), for co-chairing a committee associated with a conference in China.

{mosads}Chehadé defended his decision to take the position in a letter last week and said that not attending the December conference “would not have served the global Internet community.”

“I have confirmed that my service in this role is a post-ICANN effort that is in my personal capacity, with my first meeting as co-chair to occur later this year,” he said in his letter.

“I have not received any form of gift, reimbursement, compensation, or any other form of personal enrichment, direct or indirect, for this post-ICANN effort, though I understand that travel costs to the World Internet Conference will be covered while I serve on the high level advisory committee. I do not have any plans to seek any form of employment with the Chinese government.”

Cruz, who was joined on the initial letter by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), took issue with Chehadé’s portrayal of involvement with the conference.

“Either the World Internet Conference and the People’s Republic of China have misreported the events that took place during their own conference or Fadi Chehade isn’t being completely honest with the United States Senate,” he said in a statement Tuesday, citing a December report that he said indicates Chehadé met with the committee during the conference.

An ICANN spokesperson declined to comment on Cruz’s statement.

It’s the latest development in the contentious relationship between Cruz and the organization, which manages the domain name system under a contract with the Department of Commerce but is planning to transition away from U.S. control in the near future.

Cruz opposes the transition and has blocked a bill that would give Congress oversight over the transition because he says it doesn’t go far enough.

Chehadé is scheduled to leave his current role in March. In addition to his role with the conference, he will be an adviser to a Boston private equity firm.