President Trump early Tuesday blasted Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) for coming to his office “begging” for donations and as someone who “would do anything for them.”
The broadside against Gillibrand comes a day after the New York Democrat said Trump should resign from the presidency because of the accusations of sexual misconduct numerous women have made against him.
Gillibrand said the accusations against Trump are “credible” and should be investigated, and she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the president should resign.
Less than 24 hours later, Trump was on Twitter calling Gillibrand a “flunky” for Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and a “lightweight” lawmaker.
He also made a reference to Gillibrand’s statement this month that President Bill Clinton should have resigned from office, calling her “very disloyal” to the former president.
Gillibrand responded later on Tuesday, ripping Trump and saying he could not silence her.
Gillibrand has been a voice against sexual harassment for years, and made a name for herself in the Senate by pushing for reforms to how the military handles sexual misconduct cases.
She’s been in the center of the news over the last week as allegations of sexual misconduct against men in politics, entertainment, the media and other fields have washed through the headlines.
Gillibrand, seen by many as a potential 2020 presidential candidate, was the first Democratic senator to call on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign last week. Franken had been accused by multiple women of groping and forced kissing.
In November, she said that Clinton should have resigned over the Monica Lewinsky affair.
The remark about Clinton drew a withering response on Twitter from longtime Clinton aide Philippe Reines, who has worked for both Hillary Clinton and the former president.
He called Gillibrand a “hypocrite” for taking the Clintons’ “endorsements, money, and seat,” as Gillibrand replaced Hillary Clinton as New York’s senator when Clinton became secretary of State in the Obama administration.
“Interesting strategy for 2020 primaries. Best of luck,” he concluded.
This story was updated at 9:22 a.m.