'You're a liberal hack': Republican senator snaps at CNN journalist who asked her about impeachment trial

A Republican senator lashed out at a journalist who asked about Donald Trump's impeachment as she was walking into a hearing room, calling the reporter a “liberal hack” and refusing to answer his questions.

Arizona Republican Martha McSally slammed CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday as he asked a seemingly straightforward question about the start of the US Senate’s impeachment trial.

“Senator McSally, should the Senate consider new evidence as a part of the impeachment trial?” Mr Raju asked the senator as she walked past him, flanked by her staff.

“Manu, you’re a liberal hack, I’m not talking to you”, Ms McSally responded.

“You’re not going to comment?” Mr Raju replied.

“You’re a liberal hack, buddy”, the senator repeated as she walked into a room.

Ms McSally later shared a video of the tense moment in response to a tweet Mr Raju posted on Twitter, in which he quoted her statement about him being a “liberal hack”.

In a tweet of her own, the senator wrote: “A) You are. B) Here’s the video.”

The video shows Mr Raju asking the question to Ms McSally just before she enters the hearing room, as she appears to move her arm in front of her, blocking his microphone.

Ms McSally lost her election in 2018 to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, but was later appointed by the governor of Arizona to fill the seat of the late John McCain.

She has since announced a 2020 senatorial bid to hold onto her post, despite facing a challenge from Democrat Mark Kelly, a prominent former astronaut and US Navy Captain who is married to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

Mr Raju noted in his tweet that Ms McSally was “facing a difficult election race” in Arizona amid the contentious impeachment saga.