Stephanie and The Traveling Pants

Good morning –

I wanted to flag Stephanie Murphy’s latest damning headline for you.

Tampa Bay Times: “Rep. Stephanie Murphy stresses U.S. manufacturing but tied to sports gear made in China”

As Politico Florida Playbook puts it: “Do as I say, not as I make”

Here she is dodging questions about her outright hypocrisy: VIDEO

A few highlights from The Times:

“Florida Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy promotes her role on the House Small Business Committee and says she led a bipartisan coalition in favor of policies to ‘strengthen U.S. manufacturing.’

Yet Murphy is an inventor of softball pants that are manufactured in China — and neither she nor her husband’s company seems keen to open up about that aspect.

‘NuFit Knickers’ are sold by a Maitland-based sports apparel company that is run by Murphy’s husband and makes other products, including baseball cleats, overseas.

A company spokesman, Josh Pollack, ignored a question about the manufacturing origin of the pants and said 3N2 – which stands for three balls, two strikes — has ‘multiple manufacturing facilities in the USA and abroad.’

He noted in an email Wednesday morning, without specifics, that the company employs ‘many people right here in Central Florida.’

‘Given that 97% of the garments sold in the U.S. are made overseas, we are proud of our ability to produce domestically,’ Pollack wrote.

The Times promptly replied with follow-up questions but an auto-reply said Pollack is away from the office until Nov. 8, and he did not respond.

Similarly, a follow-up email to CEO Sean Murphy has not been not returned as of late Wednesday.”

…

“Murphy, of Winter Park, faces a tough re-election and has stressed bipartisanship, including working on small business issues. An April news release portrayed her as a leader on various issues, including strengthening U.S. manufacturing.”