GOP Sen. Martha McSally calls CNN's Manu Raju a 'liberal hack' after he asks a basic question about impeachment

Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) just scolded a CNN reporter as a "liberal hack" for daring to ask a standard question about President Trump's impeachment trial.

CNN's Manu Raju approached McSally Thursday to ask if she feels the Senate should consider new evidence in Trump's impeachment trial, but the Republican senator harshly rebuffed Raju and refused to answer.

"You're a liberal hack," McSally said. "I'm not talking to you." As Raju tried to follow up with McSally, she once again told him, "You're a liberal hack."

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After Raju first tweeted about the encounter, McSally only doubled down, posting video of the exchange herself and writing to Raju, "you are." The Republican senator quickly received criticism for this response to a journalist, especially one as well respected as Raju.

"This is so unprofessional," wrote journalist Yashar Ali wrote, calling on McSally to offer Raju an apology but saying "I'd be surprised if he gets one."

"A strange answer to a great reporter asking a question that literally every senator [is] getting asked," Politico's Jake Sherman also said. But The New York Times' Maggie Haberman observed, "The House hearings demonstrated there's a lot of political upsides for Republicans for this kind of thing by demonstrating public loyalty to Trump. And here we are." Brendan Morrow