A CNN correspondent was accused Wednesday of “outrageous sexism” after he suggested that Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s success was based on her marriage.
CNN climate correspondent Bill Weir’s comment came after the Georgia Republican tweeted that she had “lived the American dream. I went from the farm to the Fortune 500.”
“I want Georgians to have the same freedom & opportunities I had,” Ms. Loeffler said in a Wednesday post. “And it won’t be possible if we go down the road to socialism.”
Mr. Weir responded with a sarcastic tweet: “Good news, Georgia! If you live on a farm, you now qualify to marry the Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange!”
He referred to her 2004 marriage to Jeffrey Sprecher, the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange. Ms. Loeffler joined Intercontinental Exchange in 2002 after stints with Citibank, William Blair & Company, and the Crossroads Group.
Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, accused the CNN reporter of “outrageous sexism,” while Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “Well, this is amazingly sexist, but if it’s channeled towards a conservative I guess that’s OK.”
“Kelly Loeffler is significantly more accomplished than Bill Weir by a factor of about 1 billion with or without marriage, but demean her success story anyway … it’s what CNN does,” Mr. Trump said.
National Republican Senatorial Committee senior advisor Matt Whitlock tweeted, “Are you serious with this take? Are you actually suggesting that her success just came from marriage? Because it sounds like you should read a bit more.”
Mr. Weir has not commented publicly on the allegations of sexism.
Ms. Loeffler, 49, who grew up on a corn and soybean farm in Illinois, earned her undergraduate marketing degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her MBA at the DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
After being appointed in December 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Johnny Isakson, she is running to keep the seat in the Jan. 5 run-off against Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Well, this is amazingly sexist, but if it’s channeled towards a conservative I guess that’s OK.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 18, 2020
Kelly Loeffler is significantly more accomplished than Bill Weir by a factor of about 1 billion with or without marriage, but demean her success story anyway… it’s what CNN does. https://t.co/0QNDrMGhIG
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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