Actor Adam Scott has hit back at Mitch McConnell after the Senate majority leader used a Parks and Recreation gif in a political tweet.
Scott, who played Ben Wyatt in the beloved political satire, reacted after McConnell’s re-election campaign’s Twitter account Team Mitch used a gif of Wyatt winking at the camera.
The tweet came in response to the news that Donald Trump had told The Hill that he would fill a Supreme Court vacancy if one arose during the 2020 election season.
In 2016, Mr Trump, who was then the Republican candidate, supported McConnell’s decision to block the confirmation of Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
Senate Republicans famously refused to consider Garland’s nomination following the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016. Mr Trump instead picked Neil Gorsuch in 2017.
“If we could get him approved, I would definitely do it,” Mr Trump told The Hill of his hypothetical Supreme Court nominee. ”No, I’d do it a lot sooner than that. I’d do it. If there were three days left, I’d put somebody up hoping that I could get ’em done in three days, OK?”
McConnell’s campaign’s Twitter account appeared to cheer on Mr Trump’s declarations by sharing a link to The Hill‘s article, along with a reaction gif of Ben Wyatt winking gleefully.
Scott did not appreciate this use of his image and tweeted in response: “Dear Mitch McConnell & all those representing him,
“Please refrain from using my image in support of anything but your own stunning & humiliating defeat.
“Thanks! Adam”
McConnell’s re-election account replied with a screenshot of a fictional newspaper article taken from a Parks and Recreation episode in which it’s revealed that Scott’s character was once elected mayor of his hometown as a teenager and caused its bankruptcy.
This happened mainly through Wyatt championing a winter sports complex called Iced Town – leading to the headline: ”Ice Town Costs Ice Clown His Town Crown”.
