Parkland Parent Blasts Kari Lake Over Pelosi Jab: 'Sewer Dwelling Scum'

A parent who lost a child in the 2018 Parkland school shooting had harsh words for Kari Lake on Tuesday after the Arizona Republican made insensitive remarks about Paul Pelosi.

Lake is a former television news anchor who is the Trump-endorsed current Republican nominee for governor in Arizona. On Monday, during an "Ask Me Anything" campaign event, Lake made light of the recent violent assault of Paul Pelosi, a move that drew laughter from the crowd and derision from others once the clip began to circulate.

"Nancy Pelosi, well, she's got protection when she's in D.C.," Lake said. "Apparently, her house doesn't have a lot of protection."

Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old businessman and husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, suffered a fractured skull on Monday morning when he was struck with a hammer by a man who broke into his San Francisco home. The man, 42-year-old David DePape, later admitted that he had been targeting Speaker Pelosi for politically motivated reasons.

On Tuesday morning, Parkland parent and anti-gun violence activist Fred Guttenberg took to Twitter to lambast Lake for her comments, which were widely criticized as insensitive and flippant. Her comments also came in the midst of a discussion of gun violence in schools.

"As we take 10 min break from my daughters murder trial, I saw this news report on @KariLake & needed to reply," Guttenberg wrote. "Kari, you are the lowest form of sewer dwelling scum for your Pelosi comment. Also, as my daughter was murdered in school, SHUT THE F*** UP!!!"

Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, when a former student entered the building and opened fire. His son, Jesse, also attended the school, but was able to flee and meet him at a nearby store. Since then, he has become an outspoken advocate for gun control laws.

Along with Lake, numerous other prominent conservative figures made light of the attack on Pelosi in public statements, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Donald Trump Jr., the latter mockingly posting a "Halloween costume" idea to Twitter consisting of a hammer and a pair of underwear.

Lake is running to fill the office of departing Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who is leaving after his three-term limit. Her opponent in the race is Katie Hobbs, the Democratic Secretary of State in Arizona. According to FiveThirtyEight, polls for the race have been tight, with Lake recently pulling ahead to a roughly 3-point lead in the race.

Newsweek reached out to Lake's campaign for comment.