(Pamela Cosel, Headline USA) Richard Grenell, former Trump administration director of national intelligence, faced sharp criticism from the Right—and even accusations of betrayal—after a low blow against Pennsylvania senatorial candidate Kathy Barnette.
Is Dr Oz really worth taking a blowtorch to your credibility? Sad.
— steve case (@stevecasexx) May 11, 2022
Like former President Donald Trump, Grenell opted to throw his support to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in the Keystone State’s upcoming Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
But the endorsement has generated backlash from many in the MAGA base, who see both Oz and top rival David McCormick as unreliable RINOs who would help fill the Swamp instead of draining it.
Barnette, meanwhile, shot into serious contention last week by releasing a poignant video about her mother’s decision not to choose abortion.
After she surged ahead of Oz in the race, Grenell—the nation’s former top spy—attempted to kneecap her with a heavily spliced smear attack—but his dishonest tactics backfired, according to Big League Politics, which compiled a series of reactions from Twitter users.
@RichardGrenell you’re better than this. An 8th-grader knows not to commit based on a series of quick 🎞 cuts, you’ve properly decimated opponents in the past for such shoddy evidence.
Signed,
a fan of yours— The Intentional Walk (@challengeflag) May 11, 2022
Dude stop. We love Kathy. Team Trump is on the wrong side of this one
— H (@HallieCool) May 11, 2022
Barnette, who is black, was speaking out against topics like systemic racism, defunding law enforcement, Black Lives Matter, and critical race theory in the doctored clips, which were posted to YouTube from an account called MAGA Moms and shared by Grenell.
Instead, the spliced footage made it appear as if she supported them.
Here are @Kathy4Truth‘s full comments in context so you can see the part @GregKellyUsa‘s and @RichardGrenell‘s tweets left out of the video clip.
She clearly says she does NOT believe police officers are waiting on every corner to murder black men.
They are lying to you. https://t.co/cx7uyNVkJM pic.twitter.com/ptyNDlaqR2
— Jeff Charles (@JeffOnTheRight) May 11, 2022
In one example, Barnette condemned the killings in Chicago, saying criminals are “destroying our lives” in a Facebook video.
“Abolishing the police is stupid, people!” Barnette said in the emotional monologue.
“… Black Lives Matter does not care about my black life,” she continued. “It does not care about those who work, who are trying to provide for their family, who are keeping their nose clean, who just want to be able to take their black child across the street to the park with the rest of their black family.”
Barnette also questioned Democrats’ judgement for being taken in by the Marxist liberation group.
“Democrats, I know all of you cannot be falling for this stupidity that Black Lives Matter Global Network Inc. is really trying to improve the lives of black people,” she said. “As a black woman, married to a black man, raising black babies, I can assure you what is happening right now, in New York City, crime has increased by over 30%.”
Condemning Grenell’s actions, Brannon Howse, a commentator on Lindell TV, said, “He is intentionally trying to mislead people” about Barnette.
Conservative pundit JD Rucker also had harsh words.
“I like former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell,” Rucker wrote in a blog post. “He was one of the most capable of Donald Trump’s appointments and has spearheaded many valuable initiatives in and out of government. But he just did something that absolutely blew my mind and potentially destroys his credibility going forward.”
Rather than acknowledge the sleaziness of his post, Grenell lashed back at the critics.
Despicable? Grow up. Don’t be intolerant. People have different views from you.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 11, 2022
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
