White House press secretary Jen Psaki has been criticized for referring to Senator Lindsey Graham as “Lady G” in an old tweet that is being considered erroneous and homophobic.
The August 5, 2020 post provoked a negative reaction when it reappeared this week on Twitter, with several people calling Psaki to apologize for using the phrase “offensive” and “deaf”.
“Only in 2020 did #LadyG manage to push a lot of unmasked conspiracy theories while questioning @SallyQYates (aka an American hero),” Psaki tweeted.
The comment was made at the time when former acting attorney general Sally Yates was due to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Graham (R-SC).
The hashtags #LadyG and #LadyGraham gained prominence on Twitter last year after a gay porn star filed a series of online charges against the South Carolina lawmaker and said “Lady G” was his nickname among male sex workers.
Left-wing critics have long hinted that Graham, 65, is a closeted gay man because he was never married and had children, according to Fox News. He denied the rumors.
Several Twitter users criticized Psaki in the tweet.
Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence for former President Donald Trump and is openly gay, wrote: “Homophobia and intolerance on the left are growing.”
“This must be widely condemned. @PressSec, ” he added.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald noticed: “Liberals have complete and complete exemptions from the rules of speech to which everyone else is subject.”
“Very disappointed that anyone in her position embraced this style of politics,” Graham’s spokesman Kevin Bishop said in a statement.
“It says more about her than it does about Senator Graham.”
Psaki did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.