After his rousing keynote address at the Republican National Convention last August, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) was the darling of the GOP.Sen. Mark Rubio (R-Fla.) waved off a reporter's question on Thursday about his Republican colleague's controversial rape comment by claiming simply that he has no idea who the guy is.
Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) made national headlines on Wednesday when he claimed during a debate about an anti-abortion bill that the "incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low." The comment harkened back to former Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) notorious claim that women rarely become pregnant from "legitimate rape" and intensified rumblings that the GOP's so-called "war on women" is back.
But when AP reporter Steve Peoples asked Rubio about Franks' comment at a political luncheon on Thursday, Rubio said to a group of reporters, "I don't know who that is."
While it's entirely possible that Rubio has no idea who Franks is, Franks has served in Congress for a decade, and the two shared a stage in May 2010 when they were the only keynote speakers at the Seminole County Republican Hob Nob.
Rubio's office did not respond to a request for further comment.
Immigration reform is back on the front burner as a major issue in Washington, and the Republicans are taking the lead.
The focus for Mitt Romney last week at the Republican National Convention was supposed be his plan to create jobs and strengthen the economy. It was supposed to be all about the candidate, with the party faithful rallying around both him and his vision to put Americans back to work. Romney and his wife did their job and carried the main political load. But overall, just how well did Romney and his supporting cast rate with voters throughout the country in “closing the deal?”
