Maybe it's just my own personal distinction.
I see it like the difference between a high school athlete and a pro. I've got no problem with some TV newscaster calling a professional athlete a bum because it goes with the territory, but I don't want to see some high school kid trying his best be called a bum by the same guy. The higher the level the higher the scrutiny and the thicker your skin needs to be. If she really is a professional activist that was planted on that committee impersonating an innocent college student then she can expect to play by a rougher rule book.