The National Republican Senatorial Committee on Tuesday deleted a tweet they sent accusing Illinois Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs while on duty in Iraq, of “not standing up for our veterans.”
Duckworth’s campaign called the the tweet “vile” and her deputy campaign manager Matt McGrath said in a statement that the attack was “tasteless and dishonest, just like everything else to do with Mark Kirk’s flailing campaign.”
Duckworth, now in her second term in Congress, is the favorite to emerge from a Democratic primary contest and take on incumbent GOP Sen. Mark Kirk in November. Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran, who as an Army helicopter pilot suffered severe combat wounds, including losing both of her legs.
When asked about the tweet, NRSC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek chided the press for its coverage.
“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,” she wrote in an email.