House GOP Conference deletes tweet attacking Sarah Matthews

The House Republican Conference publicly attacked Sarah Matthews, former deputy press secretary in the Trump White House, for testifying before the Jan. 6 Committee – despite the fact that she is currently working as a communications director for the Republican staff on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

“Just another liar and pawn in Pelosi’s witch-hunt,” House Republicans tweeted during Thursday’s Jan. 6 committee hearing, quoting another tweet from Matthews on Jan. 20, 2021, thanking former President Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence for their service and saying that it was an honor to serve in their administration.

The tweet was quickly deleted.

“The tweet was sent out at the staff level and was not authorized or the position of the conference and therefore was deleted,” a House GOP spokesperson said.

The tweet garnered public blowback and criticism. Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House strategic communications director, took aim at House GOP Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) over the tweet.

“.@RepStefanik, a woman I once admired, is allowing the official @HouseGOP account to be used to defame a fellow Republican woman for bravely testifying before Congress under oath. Shameful,” Farah Griffin tweeted. “Glad the tweet was taken down,” she later added.

She, too, later deleted those tweets.

Matthews offered testimony to the panel about what she saw on Jan. 6. Matthews described one tweet sent by Trump as giving a “green light” to those attacking the Capitol.

This story was updated at 10:39 p.m.