Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) claimed Monday that she was “taken aback” by the “over-the-top pearl-clutching” that followed her calling CNN’s Manu Raju a “liberal hack” earlier this month.
“When did we become allergic to the truth?” asked the staunch Trump ally in an Arizona Republic op-ed. “I think everyone is pretty aware that Republicans — especially ones who work with President Trump to make a difference — are covered by reporters and most media outlets a certain way, and Democrats and Republicans who don’t like Trump are covered a totally different way.”
She went on to claim that the media is biased in favor of Democrats, and that seemingly all reporting is accordingly slanted against the President.
She promised more “towel-snapping” at reporters in the future.
Immediately after her attack on Raju, which was recorded by her staff, McSally began cashing in. A video of the exchange appeared on McSally’s Twitter feed within the hour. Her campaign also immediately bought the domain name LiberalHack.com and started marketing on-theme merchandise.
NEW SHIRT!! ?
I’m in the Senate to fight for all Arizonans, not play politics and games with the liberal hacks of the left-wing media! https://t.co/tNbKJa49JN
— McSally For Senate (@MarthaMcSally) January 17, 2020
President Donald Trump’s campaign account bolstered the recorded exchange and blasted out a link for donations to McSally’s reelection effort.
McSally appeared on Fox News that night to rehash the moment with host Laura Ingraham and proudly announce her lack of regret over the insult.
The question from Raju that prompted McSally’s insult and fundraising blitz was fairly straightforward: whether she would consider new evidence after hundreds of pages of messages from Lev Parnas’ iPhone were released by congressional investigators.
McSally seems to be stepping up the aggression as she heads into a likely very tough election fight. It seems probable that she’ll be facing off against Mark Kelly, an astronaut and husband of former congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords. Kelly currently has a significant cash lead.
McSally was appointed to her seat by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) after the death of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). She initially lost her bid for Arizona’s other Senate seat to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in 2018.
