Rep. Martha McSally spokesperson blames staffer for video flub
Rep. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, was caught Monday apparently posting a compliment on her own Facebook video.
The Arizona congresswoman posted the Facebook live video Monday afternoon on her official account, showing McSally standing in front of a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Arizona at an event honoring Vietnam veterans. Immediately following the Facebook post, the same account commented, "Great video quality! Thank you for your service!" The comment has since been deleted.
A spokesperson for McSally told CBS News Tuesday that the comment was posted by a staffer who neglected to switch from the congresswomen's account to his own personal account.
"The Facebook comment came from a district staffer who was intending to compliment his colleague's Facebook Live filming skills from his personal account," McSally's Communications Director, Kelly Schibi, told CBS News. "Obviously, he accidentally neglected to switch accounts and posted from the Congresswoman's account."
Posting positive comments on videos to artificially boost the appearance of social media engagement is not uncommon. Campaigns have been known to post on social media using an official account, then switch to an alternate shadow account to leave positive comments.
McSally's spokesperson said the incident was a simple mistake and the staffer responsible was not being seriously disciplined.
"Corporal punishment was on the table, but Congresswoman McSally showed mercy and instead sentenced him to 100 pushups a day until such time as she sees fit," Schibi joked.
The congresswoman, a veteran herself, is currently running in a contentious GOP primary for retiring Sen. Jeff Flake's seat in Arizona. Her opponents include Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward and former Sheriff Joe Arpaio.