White House press secretary Jen Psaki is under fire for using a “homophobic” insult against Sen. Lindsey Graham in a resurfaced tweet from last year.
The tweet: During a Senate hearing on the FBI’s Russia probe in August, Psaki called Graham, a South Carolina Republican, “Lady G” — and on Wednesday conservative Twitter took notice.
“Lady G” is derogatory monicker that refers to rumors the senator is gay which he has repeatedly denied.
“Very disappointed someone in her position would embrace this style politics,” a spokesman for Graham said in a statement on Wednesday. “It says more about her than it does about Senator Graham.”
The reaction: Former Trump administration official Richard Grenell, the first openly gay cabinet member, was among a number of conservative commentators to accuse Psaki of homophobia.
Others suggested the tweet, which has not been removed, gave the lie to the Biden administration’s public commitments to inclusivity, decency and accountability.
Left-wing journalist Glenn Greenwald joined conservatives in identifying a partisan double-standard.
Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets have largely ignored Psaki’s tweet, and the gay news site Queerty published an article arguing Graham had it coming for his opposition to same-sex marriage and adoptions.
Psaki was not asked about the tweet at her daily press briefing on Thursday.
