ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Rep. Susan Wilde has locked her Facebook account after calling a military veteran she supposedly met at a Memorial Day event a homophobe, marking at least the third time the vulnerable Pennsylvania Democrat has denigrated a constituent in recent years.
The latest drama unfolded last week when Wilde, who is up for reelection in November, left a comment on a friend’s Facebook photo that showed a small house flying both an American flag and an LGBTQ pride flag: “I suspect the veteran who refused to shake my hand at our Memorial Day event today wouldn’t approve of your second flag.”
Wilde, who is straight, did not elaborate further in his comments about homophobic veterans.
She has faced plenty of criticism in the past for badmouthing her own constituents, but the Cook Political Report rates the district as a 50-50 race.
Wilde, the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, said Carbon County voters need to be “educated” about their strong support for former President Donald Trump in the 2022 election, and appeared to question their intelligence.
At the time, the rural area had recently been added to Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District and was generally conservative. Wilde’s comments.
The attorney doubled down on that sentiment this year, saying on a Zoom call in January that she was “disappointed” when Carbon County became part of her jurisdiction. Residents “I swallowed the Trump craze.”
Wilde is running for a fourth term against Republican Ryan McKenzie.
Mackenzie, the state MP, was quick to pick up on her latest gaffe.
“Susan Wilde continues her habit of attacking voters.” Mackenzie wrote on Twitter. After seeing a comment on the Wild’s Facebook page about veteran players.
“This week, she attacked a military veteran after a Memorial Day event and insinuated that he was somehow bigoted.”
Wilde responded to the accusations with a message on her Facebook page accusing MacKenzie and others of turning her “innocent comments into a divisive political post.”
In her post, she claimed McKenzie was “despicable” for sharing her public comments and vowed to block all of both candidates’ mutual Facebook friends.
Ironically, Wilde’s message concluded with Maya Angelou’s famous words: “When someone reveals themselves, believe them.”
