Republicans Attack Amputee Lawmaker For ‘Not Standing Up’ For Veterans

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on Tuesday accused an Illinois lawmaker and Army veteran who lost both her legs in Iraq of “not standing up for our veterans.”

The group blasted Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is running to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, in a tweet that it promptly deleted. “Tammy Duckworth has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans,” the NRSC wrote on Twitter.

It later issued a statement on the tweet that slammed Duckworth again. “It would be great if reporters would pay as much attention to a deleted tweet as they should to Tammy Duckworth being sued by VA whistleblowers for ignoring claims of mistreatment and corruption,” NRSC spokesman Greg Blair said.

The lawsuit referenced by the NRSC alleges ethics violations from nearly a decade ago and has become a point of contention in her campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, the Chicago Tribune reported last August.

Duckworth was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot when she lost both legs and partial use of her right arm in a 2004 explosion during the Iraq War. She was awarded the Purple Heart as a result of her injuries, according to her website. Duckworth’s spokesman, Matt McGrath, called the tweet “tasteless and dishonest,” according to a statement obtained by NBC News.