FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican facing what is expected to be a tough re-election fight this year is being lampooned by Democrats for a recent “embarrassing” exchange with a reporter where she doubled-down on claiming she brought $40 million into the district despite voting against the legislation that provided a majority of the funding.
A new video released Wednesday by the Democratic National Campaign Committee (DCCC), pokes fun at Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., over the exchange, where she was unable to recall her vote against legislation that made up $24 million of the $40 million she claimed to have secured for the people of Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
“Right now you have to give me more details, but I do know that every time I have an opportunity to bring money to my constituents, I do so,” Salazar said when questioned by CBS News Miami’s Jim DeFede over why she made the claim about the funding but voted against the legislation.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) speaks during a press conference on immigration outside the U.S. Capitol Building on May 23, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The interview spiraled when DeFede continued pressing Salazar, and she responded she would have to ask her staff before continuing to claim she brought $40 million to the district. “Aren’t you proud of me? Aren’t you proud of the $40 million that I’ve brought?” she asked DeFede.
Of the $40 million Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., claimed she personally played a role in securing for various projects in her district, including infrastructure, $24 million came as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which Salazar actually opposed alongside nearly all of her Republican colleagues.
The DCCC video targeting Salazar includes clips of the interview, overlaid with circus-like music, and claims the congresswoman’s “lies are catching up to her.” It comes as Democrats aim to flip control of the House of Representatives from Republicans, who currently hold a narrow majority of just a few seats.
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Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., got into a tense exchange with CBS News Miami’s Jim DeFede during a January 2023 interview. (Screenshot/CBS News Miami)
“María Elvira Salazar thinks she can keep taking credit with voters in South Miami for federal funding that she voted against. Too bad for her, the DCCC has the receipts, proof, timeline, and screenshots — and we’re bringing the facts directly to voters,” DCCC spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
When reached for comment, Salazar’s campaign pointed Fox News Digital to an op-ed she wrote in the Miami Herald following the exchange. In it, Salazar explained that she fought to get the funding included in the bill as it was being drafted, but that it later became a “bloated” bill loaded with “bad policies” she was unwilling to vote for.
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“Let me be clear: I will never apologize for working to deliver wins for the district I have been entrusted to represent by the voters. I will always vote my conscience and in the best interest of our community and our country,” she wrote.
Elections analysts rate the race for Florida’s 27th Congressional District as “solid” or “likely” Republican.
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