Though it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, something Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) did little more than humiliate himself with a bizarre third-person opinion piece someone in his campaign penned. And the political fallout from the self-inflicted wound could wind up costing Lee his Senate seat.

Mediaite reports on the op-ed:

The op-ed headlined “Mike Lee has earned a reputation as a principled conservative” had a byline of “Mike Lee.” It’s a short piece — only seven paragraphs comprised of less than 300 words — and adopts the overly earnest tone of a middle schooler’s book report.

“Mike Lee serves as a United States senator representing the state of Utah,” Mike Lee begins his op-ed writing about how great Mike Lee is. “Since taking office, Senator Lee has earned a reputation as a principled conservative. He believes elected officials are responsible for keeping the federal government within its constitutionally limited role.”

The op-ed continues, touting how “Lee serves on various [Senate] committees important to Utah,” “Senator Lee has fought for Utahns and their values,” and “Senator Lee has remained committed to advocating for limited government and fiscal responsibility throughout his career.”

 

If you’re writing something about yourself, shouldn’t it be in first person, not third? That’s certainly the accepted rule on such matters.

Campaign adviser Matt Lusty attempted to explain, but his claims fell far short:

“The Salt Lake Tribune solicited an essay from the campaign for inclusion in their voter guide. We supplied them with a version of Sen. Lee’s standard bio. Not an OPED. It’s regrettable it was presented as being from Senator Lee.”

As you’d expect, Twitter had lots of fun mocking Lee and laughing at him for his incredible self-own.

Featured Image: NBC News