Name: Churchill: Let's mock Elise Stefanik's mock outrage
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Churchill: Let's mock Elise Stefanik's mock outrage

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ALBANY — Several of you have written to ask how it could be that Elise Stefanik is so deeply offended by Andrew Cuomo's behavior but hasn't said peep about Matt Gaetz.It's a facetious question, I realize, but you're right that the discrepancy is notable.On Twitter and elsewhere, Stefanik makes regular note of the governor's many foibles and scandals, including of sexual harassment. She calls Cuomo "the creepy corrupt criminal of New York" and "the worst governor in America."Of course, there's little risk when Stefanik, a Republican, targets New York's Democratic governor, of course. Many of her North Country constituents, or at least the majority willing to vote for her, agree with Stefanik's assessment. She's putting nothing on the line.Gaetz is a different story. The Florida congressman is on her team. For Stefanik, criticizing Gaetz might take a little, you know, courage.Like Stefanik, Gaetz is a Donald Trump loyalist who has been willing to indulge the former president's own ethical lapses and support his lies of a stolen election. Gaetz, 38, and Stefanik, 36, have used their Trump allegiance to build national brands. Both have been considered rising political stars in GOP circles; both spoke at theNow, though, Gaetz's career may be ending. He might be in serious trouble.According , the Justice Department is investigating whether Gaetz paid for sex with a number of women in violation of federal sex-trafficking laws. Gaetz, who has not been charged with a crime, has denied any wrongdoing and claims he's being victimized by a $25 million extortion scheme.Meanwhile, there are other tales of sleazy behavior, including accounts of Gaetz happily and frequently showing his congressional colleagues photos and videos of nude women while on the House floor.Given that Stefanik has, to her credit, worked hard to elect more women to Congress, you might think she'd be concerned that one of her male colleagues was apparently confusing the House of Representatives with a frat house. Given the indignation she's mustered for accusations against Andrew Cuomo, you might think she'd express some touch of concern about allegations against Matthew Gaetz.But she hasn't said anything. Thinking she might be waiting to be asked, I reached out to Stefanik's office on Monday to see if she wanted to comment on Gaetz but didn't hear back. Surprise, surprise.Stefanik can stay quiet if she wants, of course, and she can grant her colleague the presumption of innocence until a jury finds otherwise. But when she continually expresses outrage at alleged improprieties by Democrats but doesn't say anything about allegations against Gaetz or Trump or many other Republicans, it's easy to doubt whether Stefanik's outrage is genuine.It isn't, which means Stefanik's mock outrage deserves to be mocked. It's political. It's about bald partisanship and scoring cheap points. It's also about money.Visit Stefanik's congressional campaign website and you'll find an online store where a visitor can buy a wide range of . There are, for example, mock "Wanted" posters featuring Cuomo's image, "Impeach Cuomo" T-shirts, and "Cuomo's Gotta Go" baseball caps.As regular readers will know, I believe Cuomo's ethical lapses, either alleged or well-documented, are worthy of attention and, in many cases, condemnation. There's a part of me, I'll admit, that might enjoy sipping my morning coffee from the "Worst Governor in America" mug Stefanik is selling for the rip-off price of $25.But since Stefanik's store is raising campaign money on the serious scandals Cuomo is facing — including controversies involving dead nursing home residents and women who may have been sexually harassed — the effort is worse than tacky. I mean, it would be nice if a member of Congress considered it beneath her dignity to hawk merchandise you'd find at a county fair.But the store does tell us something about the risk-reward calculation behind Stefanik's selective outrage. There's campaign money to be made in condemning Cuomo, while a negative word about Gaetz could cost Stefanik donations from her national fan base. So it's easier to say nothing.Even if Stefanik does somehow muster the courage to raise concerns about Gaetz's behavior, you can be certain she won't be celebrating with a "Gaetz Has Gotta Go!" beer koozie or a baseball cap calling for his resignation.No, she wouldn't make a few cheap bucks. But Stefanik might find something priceless: Her honor.cchurchill@timesunion.com ■ 518-454-5442 ■ @chris_churchill

ALBANY — Several of you have written to ask how it could be that Elise Stefanik is so deeply offended by Andrew Cuomo's behavior but hasn't said peep about Matt Gaetz.It's a facetious question, I realize, but you're right that the discrepancy is notable.On Twitter and elsewhere, Stefanik makes regular note of the governor's many foibles and scandals, including of sexual harassment. She calls Cuomo "the creepy corrupt criminal of New York" and "the worst governor in America."Of course, there's little risk when Stefanik, a Republican, targets New York's Democratic governor, of course. Many of...

Churchill: Let's mock Elise Stefanik's mock outrage

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