Elise Stefanik Demands Apology from Local Paper over 'Childless' Remark

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has condemned a local newspaper in her home district after it published an article mocking her and referring to her as “childless.”

The Albany Times Union published piece, titled “Storytime with Elise Stefanik,” over the weekend and it appears to no longer be accessible. As the Federalist noted, the piece “offers a short, fictional narrative in which Stefanik reads to a room of first-graders at a local school.”

“I myself am childless because I am a rising star in the Republican Party, and family planning is possible by way of the contraception paid for by my excellent taxpayer-provided healthcare plan,” wrote Peter Marino and Lale Davidson, mocking Stefanik.

The writers also painted Stefanik as insensitive to the suffering brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, carrying on a made up story regarding Stefanik after hearing of the passing of a young child’s grandmother.

“What is that you say, little one in the front with the adorable curls? Your grandmother died of COVID [Chinese coronavirus]? I’m sorry. But, you know, she was old and was going to die sooner or later. That’s why Republicans invented Heaven,” a fictional Stefanik said in the story. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry, since children are immune to the hoax.”

Stefanik and her husband, Matt Manda, released a joint statement Tuesday demanding a retraction and an apology from the publication. In addition, Stefanik also seeks an explanation on why the Times Union published the piece.

“As a young married couple, we have developed a thick skin over many years as we have become accustomed to repeated sexist smears in media coverage,” Stefanik and Manda stated. “However, the Times Union’s decision to publish an article that mocked us as ‘childless’ is a new low and is truly heinous and wildly inappropriate.”

“This shameful statement is not only inherently sexist, but also hateful, abusive, and heartless,” the couple continued, claiming the publication’s publisher, editor, and staff have allowed the “paper’s standards to sink so low” to “embrace sexist scum and content under the masthead.”

“We not only require a complete retraction, but we also demanded an immediate public apology and explanation as to how this was allowed to be published in the Times Union and who will be held responsible and accountable,” they wrote.

Stefanik and Manda concluded their statement by thanking those who have prayed for them.