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Martha McSally Is Now A Dangerous Media Critic For Calling A CNN Reporter A ‘Liberal Hack’

By: Emily Jashinsky
5 min read

It was as if every member of the mainstream media felt he had a personal duty to defend the press against the notoriously dangerous Martha McSally.

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Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) called a CNN reporter a “liberal hack.” This is very bad, I am told.

When asked by Manu Raju on Thursday whether the upper chamber should “consider new evidence as part of the impeachment trial,” an exasperated McSally replied, “Manu, you’re a liberal hack. I’m not talking to you.” Footage of the exchange, which occurred in the hallway of a Senate building, was aired on CNN.

To be clear, Raju’s question was legitimate and he had every right to ask it. I’m glad he did. The press exists to hold lawmakers like McSally to account, confronting them with the questions they don’t want to answer. That said, McSally’s dig was both hilarious and deeply satisfying. More importantly, it just wasn’t all that outrageous.

As far as I can tell, her major crime was daring to insult a reporter who happens to be well-liked by his peers.

If you think Republican lawmakers get a fair shake from the Washington press corps, you’re probably hopelessly delusional. If you can at least accept the premise they do not, as most fair-minded people should be able to do, we can agree McSally is entitled to a moment of frustration.

While Beltway journalists rushed to uphold his credibility (and he seems like a nice enough guy!), Raju’s record of fairness isn’t exactly sterling. Consider the examples here and here and here and especially here. That isn’t even to address the problems with his network, which I could not find a way to condense into a single sentence.

All of this is to say the outpouring of criticism for McSally, offered eagerly by the coterie of Very Serious journalists on Twitter, has been predictably obtuse and disproportionate. It was as if every member of the mainstream media felt he had a personal duty to defend the press against the notoriously dangerous Martha McSally. Erik Wemple called the incident “chilling.”

https://twitter.com/hunterw/status/1217854820117360641?s=20

Josh Rogin of the Washington Post claimed the moment constituted an “insult” to Sen. John McCain’s legacy. As the Post itself reported in the wake of McCain’s passing, his “dyspeptic side was occasionally aimed at reporters.” In fact, those occasional digs were a legendary part of McCain’s savvy relationship with the media. McSally doesn’t share that same rare dynamic with the fourth-estate, but that doesn’t make Rogin’s point more valid.

The bulk of media coverage is not fair to Republicans. Raju has not always been fair to Republicans. McSally vented. Save your tweets for more interesting things, like #AppreciateADragonDay.

If McSally had a habit out of dismissing perfectly legitimate stories or reporters as “fake news,” and the “liberal hack” dig was part of an unfair broader trend, that might warrant concern. But she’s just a moderate Republican senator who believes this particular reporter is a “liberal hack.” Even by pre-Trump standards, that’s neither abnormal nor unreasonable. Treating it as both is silly.

The vast majority of voters are offline, and won’t notice this back-and-forth between McSally and the press. But it’s in moments like these where journalists display tendencies like insularity and self-importance that actually do affect their credibility when the circumstances matter more.

Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in Arizona, and only 32 percent of Republicans find CNN “credible.” A good chunk of McSally’s constituents would probably have a different reaction to the dust-up than Beltway Twitter. That’s why she doubled down and fundraised off of it. Those voters don’t actually have many voices in Congress willing to publicly confront members of the press face-to-face. To the extent McSally’s insult matters at all, it’s probably that.

Plus, the more sanctimonious criticism McSally receives from the media, the more easy it is for her to fundraise off the incident, fueling the anti-media sentiments that make so many members of the press anxious. Besides being disproportionate, it’s not even practical to attack her. The salient question to ask would actually be, “Why do people distrust us so much that a senator is able to fundraise off this?”

Was McSally’s barb polite? Not at all. But you may remember that Washington Republicans’ deferential politeness to people who don’t deserve it was something of a factor in the 2016 primary race. If anything, Washington politicians are too friendly with the media.

Maybe there’s some middle ground between “hack” and “no comment” McSally could have found in the moment. I honestly just don’t care enough to think about it, and neither should you.

Emily Jashinsky is culture editor at The Federalist and host of Federalist Radio Hour. She previously covered politics as a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner. Prior to joining the Examiner, Emily was the spokeswoman for Young America’s Foundation. She’s interviewed leading politicians and entertainers and appeared regularly as a guest on major television news programs, including “Fox News Sunday,” “Media Buzz,” and “The McLaughlin Group.” Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Real Clear Politics, and more. Emily also serves as director of the National Journalism Center, co-host of the weekly news show “Counter Points: Friday” and a visiting fellow at Independent Women's Forum. Originally from Wisconsin, she is a graduate of George Washington University.

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