Televised congressional hearings can offer politicians the opportunity to become superstars overnight. A great performance can create a flood of new donations and raise the lawmaker’s national profile as well. Of course, a poor performance can put a target on the politicians back.
35 year-old Elise Stefanik, who serves New York’s 21st District, had a noteworthy appearance during Friday’s hearing. The former moderate fiercely defended the President and frequently claimed she wasn’t getting time to speak. This morning, former Republican lawyer George Conway donated to Stefanik’s opponent and referred to the congresswoman as “lying trash.”
During the hearing, Stefanik argued with Democratic Adam Schiff about her ability to ask questions. At one point, she said, “This is a matter of constitutional importance, and I’m asking substantive, fact-based questions to the witnesses. We should not let this be a partisan attack the way Adam Schiff is conducting himself.”
Conway tweeted a graphs that showed Stefanik had spoken more than any Republican outside of Devin Nunes, the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee. He wrote, “Elise Stefanik is lying trash. Please donate to her opponent Tedra Cobb.”
.@EliseStefanik is lying trash. Please give to her opponent, @TedraCobb. https://t.co/NDstzv2Qgr
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) November 16, 2019
He followed by tweeting, “I just gave the legal maximum (to Cobb). If you believe in truth in politics and in the rule of law, you should give what you can as well.”
I just gave the legal maximum. If you believe in truth in politics and in the rule of law, you should give what you can as well. https://t.co/KztHswmYoT pic.twitter.com/ukfNr66ipP
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) November 16, 2019
It was quite a day for Stefanik’s 2020 opponent Tedra Cobb. Thanks in part to Democratic strategist, Adam Parkhomenko, she went from 6,200 Twitter followers to over 150,000 in the span of a day. She has also raised over $300,000.
How many retweets would we need to get Elise Stefanik’s Dem primary challenger @TedraCobb from 6,200 followers to 100,000 followers in a single day? ELISE IS A DISGRACE. Spread the word. https://t.co/JF7E9kbnPQ
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) November 15, 2019