Donald Trump's confrontational approach to the news media is apparently rubbing off on his fellow Republicans -- at least if Rep. Claudia Tenney's tense Monday interview with a reporter that abruptly ended with her shouting "fake news" is any indication.
The unidentified reporter was asking about comments Tenney, R-N.Y., made last month, in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting. She said it was "interesting that so many of these people that commit mass murders end up being Democrats," although, as she said, the media doesn't report on that.
Tenney's false claim, which was made in a Feb. 21 interview with a local radio station, set off a number of Democrats in her state and elsewhere who demanded that she recant. People who engage in mass shootings overwhelmingly tend not to have political motivations, according to experts.
Tenney didn't exactly double down on Monday, but she didn't recant her statement either. Instead, the congresswoman tried to steer the conversation into a discussion about the ongoing investigations into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
"We took a commitment to civility," she began. "I implore everyone, turn on CNN, turn on the news media on the left and watch the constant drumbeat of blame to Republicans, the hysteria over President Trump, the constant Russia collusion stories which is now turning out to be a farce."
Tenney also claimed that Democrats have been inspiring mass shooters and then "exploit" them.
"Look at the constant, just vicious vicious coming out of the 'Resist' movement every single day," she said.
"And the abhorrent behavior of the media in promoting -- and the rhetoric coming from the Democrats who started this, who exploit the terrible tragedies that are occurring in our communities. They exploit these things the minute they come out," she said.
The true victims in America's national gun debate are Republicans and gun owners, Tenney argued. "They attack legal gun owners, they attack legal citizens, and we are defending people who have the right to bear arms. We're defending people who don't need to be attacked every single day, relentlessly, viciously smeared."
She continued, "The drumbeat every single day is Republicans, Republicans, Republicans, the NRA, the Republicans cause all of these things to happen."
When the reporter asked her to elaborate on why she had accused mass shooters of being Democrats, she abruptly ended the interview.
"It's fake news!" Tenney said as she leaned over to the journalist's microphone. "I answered your question every which way. It is fake news."
She then turned and left.
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