When Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly’s daughter posted photos of illegal drugs on her Instagram story, the now vice presidential candidate seemed to know they would come back to haunt him.
In 2020, Claire Kelly, then 23, posted a video on Instagram of what appears to be marijuana and ecstasy, known as molly.
“P***y molly weed,” he captioned the video of a bag of illegal drugs. Possession of ecstasy, a dangerous drug, is a felony in Arizona.
In another story, Claire captured a screenshot of text messages sent by her father warning her to delete her post.
“I’ve been very busy today. I received a call and two emails about your Instagram account. I don’t care to look, but I suspect what you posted would not be in anyone’s best interest. At least not you or me,” Kelly, a Democrat who joined the Senate that year, wrote to his daughter, according to the post.
“No, my Instagram is fine,” Claire replied to her father. “Check it out for yourself.”
“I’ll pass,” said Kelly, who is on Kamala Harris’ shortlist for the world’s second-most powerful job.
“You know you’re that bitch that causes all this conversation. Always be nice, the best revenge is you,” she wrote alongside the caption, adding: “One call and two emails? Come on guys.”
The father-daughter duo have clearly moved on from the incident and have been seen together in photos posted on their Facebook account.
At the time, I had just graduated from Arizona State University and was working at a communications company.
Claire has since deleted her Instagram and X accounts associated with @clairekelly100.
According to internet history, she had tagged previous posts by @ShuttleCDRKelly, which at one point belonged to the now-senator.
His now-wife, Gabby Giffords, tagged him in a birthday post in 2019 using the same username.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kelly’s campaign for comment on the text message exchange and her daughter’s posts.
Claire has since deleted her Instagram and X accounts associated with @clairekelly100.
Kelly shares daughter Claire and daughter Claudia with his first wife, Amelia Babis
Kelly shares daughter Claire and another daughter, Claudia, with his first wife, Amelia Babis. The couple divorced in 2004 and Kelly married then-U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords in 2004.
Now, years later, Claire has settled in New York City and begun her professional life. At 27, she founded a Queens-based social media and marketing company, Rise and Shine Social.
His father is believed to be on a short list of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ new presidential nominee after President Biden stepped aside.
Now, years later, Claire has settled into professional life in New York City. The 27-year-old founded a Queens-based social media and marketing company, Rise and Shine Social.
Claire has since deleted her Instagram and X accounts associated with @clairekelly100.
Kelly, a former Navy member and astronaut, has pushed the administration to get tougher on the border.
He defeated incumbent Republican Martha McSally in a special election and took office in December 2020.
Other candidates believed to be under consideration include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have also been nominated.