[Buttons12]

Hitting back? What, exactly, did she do to them?

You're not supposed to notice that word! It's meant to dissolve in your brain. (The "upper digestive tract" of a standard liberal.)

[WayneS]

Sort of like when the news reports that a person is “speaking out” about something, as opposed to simply “speaking” - thereby implying that someone, possibly the ubiquitous “they”, is/are trying to silence that person.