Republican Arizona Sen. Martha McSally ripped into CNN Capitol Hill reporter Manu Raju on Thursday, calling him a “liberal hack” after he asked a question about President Donald Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial.
“Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican facing a difficult election race, lashed out when I asked if she would consider new evidence as part of the Senate trial,” Raju, a University of Wisconsin graduate tweeted Thursday.
Sen. Martha McSally, a Republican facing a difficult election race, lashed out when I asked if she would consider new evidence as part of the Senate trial. “You’re a liberal hack – I’m not talking to you. You’re a liberal hack.” She then walked into a hearing room.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 16, 2020
The freshman Arizona senator then responded by posting a video of the exchange to her Twitter account, doubling down on her contention that Raju is a “liberal hack.” (RELATED: Here Are The Five 2020 Races That Could Determine Control Of The Senate)
A) you are.
B) here’s the video. https://t.co/zVgk9pBhdf pic.twitter.com/cfFdotLjFK— Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) January 16, 2020
McSally is currently serving her first term in the Senate after being appointed in Dec. 2018 to replace the late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain. McSally is running for a full term in this year’s special election, which is expected to be one of the tightest Senate races in the country.
McSally was narrowly defeated in her 2018 race for Arizona’s other Senate seat by her now-colleague Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
“It is extremely unbecoming for a U.S. Senator to sink to this level and treat a member of the press this way for simply doing his job,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.