A journalist recounts the moment they received a public accusation of lying to Congress from a senior administration official while grilling chicken on a hot summer evening. The revelation, though unsettling, came as no surprise given the prolonged criticism and smear campaigns they had faced from supporters of a prominent political movement. The incident underscores the personal toll of political polarization and the weaponization of public figures in modern discourse. The piece offers a firsthand look at how partisan attacks can seep into everyday life.
I was grilling chicken on a sweltering summer night in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, when I peeked at my phone and saw that a senior official in the administration had just accused me of lying to Congress. This was unpleasant but unsurprising. MAGA acolytes had spent years vilifying the work I did in government to...
