We reported earlier this week about how Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was shown a 2017 tweet Wednesday from Neera Tanden in which Tanden, who is Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the OMB, told Murkowski she was “high on your own supply” over her stance on lowering the corporate tax rate.

The Senator, who was shown the tweet by the Washington Post’s White House correspondent Seung Min Kim, appeared to be taken aback. And because Murkowski could be a deciding vote one way or the other on Tanden’s confirmation, Tanden’s Twitter army erupted in outrage and directed a barrage of insults at Ms. Kim, some of which were of a racist and sexist nature. Kim shared some of them on her Twitter feed.

After the Washington Post issued a statement defending Kim and denouncing the attacks, the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman took to the Twitter machine to rant about how “supporters of an extremely online Cabinet appointee who often attacked reporters – not just senators – feel a certain freedom here to just let it fly”:

We all get harassed on Twitter and in email. What’s noteworthy is how the supporters of an extremely online Cabinet appointee who often attacked reporters – not just senators – feel a certain freedom here to just let it fly. https://t.co/YJfJvG6hw2

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 25, 2021

Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin, who is a colleague of Kim’s at the Post, completely missed the point of Haberman’s post, thinking instead that Haberman was saying that because this happened all the time that it was no big deal. She responded accordingly in what came across as a desperate attempt to bond with another female reporter:

exactly — are people surprised by this? This is what virtually every woman in journalism experience. Is this a secret??

— Jennifer ‘pro-reality’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) February 25, 2021

Haberman, however, wasn’t having it. She alerted Rubin to the fact that the point had whooshed right over her head (as is often the case with Rubin):

I think – I think – you are missing my point about cause and effect.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 25, 2021

Not accustomed to being knocked down a peg by a media colleague, Rubin tried and failed to cover for herself:

I am remarking on the reactions of people who think this is some new thing. Believe me, at the Post we do not attack our own. Funny how no one but you took it this way

— Jennifer ‘pro-reality’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) February 25, 2021

It’s then that Haberman went in for the coup de grace, turning Rubin’s argument around on her and lecturing her about how she should be standing up for her co-worker at the Post instead of acting like the issue wasn’t that important:

You should be condemning the attacks on your colleague instead of saying NBD, no?

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 25, 2021

A defensive and fauxfended Rubin snapped back by claiming she was not saying what happened to Kim was no big deal:

of course I am not saying that

— Jennifer ‘pro-reality’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) February 25, 2021

RedState senior editor Joe Cunningham summed up their back and forth perfectly:

When “Notice me!” goes horribly awry. pic.twitter.com/FM0hxbhbc8

— Joe Cunningham (@JoePCunningham) February 26, 2021

In the end, Tanden did retweet the WaPo’s statement of support for Kim, but it’s unlikely to calm the choppy waters Tanden’s keyboard warriors stirred up:

And it’s good to see this RT. Her supporters think they’re helping her by continuing to be so vicious online, but they’re the only ones who think so pic.twitter.com/34lZ6Jluxf

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) February 26, 2021

Tanden is set to meet with Murkowski Monday, which should be interesting in light of the 2017 tweet that resurfaced this week. As it turns out, she may very well be the first cabinet nominee to be derailed by mean tweets.

As always, stay tuned.