Saturday, March 12, 2016

Republican Campaign Committee Attacks Double Amputee Representative for ‘Not Standing Up’ For Veterans








by Aaron Rupar Mar 8, 2016 4:00 pm




The National Republican Senatorial Committee quickly deleted a tweet posted from its official account that criticized disabled veteran Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) for “not standing up for our veterans.”

Duckworth, who is running for an Illinois U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mark Kirk, lost both of her legs after her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade in Iraq. She was awarded the Purple Heart and is the first disabled female veteran to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

While the wording of the NRSC tweet may have been a mistake, back in 2012, then-Rep. Joe Walsh’s (R-IL) stirred controversy when he argued that Duckworth exploits her military service and battle wounds for political purposes.

The NRSC’s tweet was deleted within 10 minutes, but the NRSC post the deleted tweet linked to, “Tammy’s Terrible Week In Review,” remains up, and cites news stories that argue Duckworth used her former post as director of the Illinois VA to advance her political career. The post also criticizes her for allegedly turning her back on veterans.

Later, the NRSC released this statement about the tweet (via NBC’s Frank Thorp V):

“It would be great if reporters would pay as much attention to a deleted tweet as they should to Tammy Duckworth being sued by VA whistleblowers for ignoring claims of mistreatment and corruption.”

Meanwhile, Duckworth’s Senate campaign spokesperson called the tweet “tasteless and dishonest.”











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