Former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill addressed reports of Democratic infighting, asking "What are they thinking?" during an appearance on Meet the Press.
Host Chuck Todd brought up a recent New York Times op-ed titled "Scaling Wokeback Mountain," in which columnist Maureen Dowd pushed back on far left criticisms of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Ca.).
"In the age of Trump, there's no more stupid proposition than that Nancy Pelosi is the problem. If AOC and her pygmalions and acolytes decide that burning down the House is more important than deposing Trump, they'll be left with a racist, backward president and the emotional satisfaction of their own purity," Dowd wrote.
"I think the thing that really set me off this week was them going after Sharice Davids," McCaskill said. In a now-deleted tweet, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D., N.Y.) chief of staff attacked freshman representative Sharice Davids (D., Ka.), accusing her of enabling "a racist system."
The House Democrats' official Twitter account hit back Friday night, asking, "Who is this guy and why is he explicitly singling out a Native American woman of color?"
McCaskill sided with the House Democrats and defended Davids.
"This is the first Native American woman elected to Congress. She's the second openly lesbian member of Congress in history. She represents Kansas from a district that has been held by the Republicans for cycle after cycle after cycle. She took out an incumbent Republican congressman," McCaskill continued.
"The notion that they're going after her and playing the race card, what are they thinking? I mean, what the hell are they thinking? this is a situation where I appreciate the passion, and I appreciate the point of view and I appreciate the debate, but we have got to come together and stay fixed on the goal here and remain pragmatic about how we win in 2020."