Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) lashed out at a Fox News host on Sunday who questioned her loyalty to Donald Trump.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” host Shannon Bream pressed Stefanik about how her opinion on Trump has changed over time as she is reportedly being considered as his potential running mate.
“They say you called him a whack job at one point,” Bream said referring to an article from the New York Times.
“It’s a disgrace that you would quote the New York Times with nameless and faceless false sources,” Stefanik said, according to a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
Stefanik allegedly called Trump a “whack job” in messages obtained by the Times, so the source of the claim is Stefanik herself.
“But they’re quoting your friends, so I’m giving you a chance to respond to that, Congresswoman,” Bream noted.
“No, no, no, Shannon, Shannon, Shannon, they’re not quoting my friends. Those names are not included because they are false smears,” Stefanik said.
“Just to be fair, there are a number of names of people who are quoted in the article,” Bream said
“So let me ask you though, because they quote you on a radio station, calling him insulting to women. Is that a misquote? Did you not say that?” Bream asked.
“I said the statement that the Democrats leaked out in 2016 that that was insulting,” Stefanik responded. “However, Shannon, I stood by and supported him and I strongly support him. And he has done so much to promote women in senior positions, as well as promote women’s economic opportunity that we experienced out of the four years of his administration.”
“I have been proud to support him, it’s a disgrace that you would take a New York Times article and just read negative quotes when I was the only Republican elected woman from the Northeast who voted for him in 2016 who was strongly supporting him, and I’m proud to be one of his strongest allies today,” Stefanik added.
“We know where you are today. Folks can go read that article for themselves,” Bream said. “There are plenty of names, people who went on the record. And we’ll leave it there.”
