Her Actual Title Is Likely “Special Counsel to the Committee.” Not “Female Assistant.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared defensive when NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Kasie Hunt Tuesday afternoon pointed out to him that there are only men on the Republican side of the Judiciary Committee. But McConnell’s sexist response is what was perhaps most revealing.
“You don’t have women making decisions about Judge Kavanaugh,” Hunt, who also hosts her own MSNBC show, noted. “What message does that send to the American people?”
After saying that being “a male” isn’t disqualifying to sit on the Committee, McConnell condescendingly added, “As I said earlier and I think you already know, we have hired a female assistant to go on staff and to ask these questions in a respectful and professional way.”
“Female assistant.”
Buzzfeed’s Legal Editor Chris Geidner summed it up: “The ‘female assistant’ is a lawyer, to be clear. Her title, I would imagine, likely is special counsel to the committee or the chair.”
That attorney is also believed to be an expert in sexual assault.
McConnell was immediately excoriated on social media for his sexist and demeaning characterization.