Parkland survivor David Hogg sees double standard in defense of Covington Catholic students

Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently said she's never "seen people so happy to destroy a kid's life," but David Hogg begs to differ.

The White House Press Secretary doubled down on her defense of the Covington Catholic students accused of mocking Native American activists on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday night.

“I think what happened with Buzzfeed is a great lesson for the media. Quit trying to be first and start trying to be right. We have seen time and time again where they run out here with outrageous, ridiculous stories,” she said.

“One person reports it to begin with and they all jump on it. We saw it again with the Covington students. I’ve never seen people so happy to destroy a kid’s life.”

Hogg issued his blistering response to Sanders with a tweet Wednesday morning: “Really?” he asked her.

RELATED: Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg

The Harvard-bound 18-year-old along with his classmates have become recurring targets for conservatives and guns rights groups in wake of the shooting at their Parkland school. Hiding in a closet, Hogg recorded the chaos that ensued while accused gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire in the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the morning of Feb. 14, 2018.

Seventeen students and teachers were killed and dozens more were injured in the mass shooting, which re-ignited a heated gun debate across the country. Hogg and fellow survivors used the tragedy to advocate for gun control and gun safety, planning rallies and marches across the country to further their cause.

In the days after the shooting though, a malicious conspiracy theory began to circulate online — Hogg was merely a “crisis actor,” paid to stage the brutal attack at the Florida high school in a bid to bolster his gun control agenda. Claims raced across social media suggesting that Hogg wasn’t even at the school and that he staged his video.

Donald Trump Jr. went as far as to a like a tweet purporting the bizarre theory, forcing the shooting survivor to issue a denial. But the public jabs didn’t stop there.

Conservative documentarian Dinesh D’Souza tweeted in February that it’s “interesting to hear students who can’t support themselves for one day giving us lectures about American social policy.”

President Trump this week shared a tweet completely opposite in tone, however, defending the Covington Catholic Students and encouraging them to engage in activism.

“Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become the symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be,” he wrote. “They have captivated the attention of the world and I know they will use it for the good — maybe even bring people together. It started off as unpleasant, but can end in a dream!”

A month after the Parkland Massacre, Fox News Host Laura Ingraham taunted Hogg for getting rejected from several colleges and shared an article about it on Twitter.

“David Hogg Rejected by Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it,” she tweeted back in March. “(Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA … totally predictable given acceptance rates.”

The treatment stands in stark contrast with her praise of the Covington Catholic boys over the past week. The conservative television personality, like Huckabee Sanders, has also recently lambasted the mainstream media for its “smears against” the group of students.

The Parkland survivors’ advocacy for gun safety also earned them the ire of the National Rifle Association. Its spokesperson, Dana Loesch, who has repeatedly tried to discredit the Parkland survivors, has similarly taken to defending the Covington Catholic teens.

“What the #CovingtonCatholic smear proved is that many in media and predatory progressive adults will stop at nothing because of their partisan zealotry, even if it means targeting children with lies and making it to where they require police protection at school,” she wrote.

The NRA spokesperson followed up with another tweet Wednesday: “A lot of people are really, really mad that they can’t destroy these kids.”