Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway suggested Sen. Cory Booker is benefiting from a double standard on sexism just hours after the New Jersey lawmaker declared his candidacy for president.
Mr. Booker is joining a large Democrat primary field, now contending with several prominent female candidates. The competition includes three of his Senate colleagues — Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand — who have started to lay the groundwork for their campaigns.
“What is wrong with the candidates that are already in there?” Mrs. Conway, who is the counselor for President Trump, asked on “Fox and Friends.” “What is your objection to Kamala Harris running, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, these others who have already announced? Tulsi Gabbard, maybe?
“If he were a Republican running against them, they immediately would call him a sexist for running against these women in the Democratic field,” she added.
Mr. Trump has faced criticism for his past comments and treatment of women since the 2016 campaign.
Mrs. Conway, a New Jersey native herself, also slammed Mr. Booker for his “Spartacus” moment during Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings and his record as a senator.
“I’d also ask him, what exactly have you accomplished that qualifies you to be commander in chief and president of the United States?” she said.
Despite the harsh criticism, Mrs. Conway said the administration welcomes the challenge from Mr. Booker while taking a jab at the crowded Democratic ranks.
“Welcome, the water seems warm,” she said. “Welcome to dive in along with, I don’t know, 10, 15, 30 other Democratic candidates.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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