Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) sparked ridicule Saturday with his response to accusations that he’d skipped out on a nearly $700 cookie bill.
This week, Holly Thomas of Holly’s Sweet Treats — a Kansas-based bakery — accused Marshall of ordering $678.75 in cookies for his 2020 election watch party and then skipping out on the bill, despite repeated attempts to collect payment.
Responding to the allegation, Marshall said he had “absolutely no idea how this happened,” but said that his campaign had since apologized and repaid the bill. He also shared an invoice showing he had paid $1,300 for the $678.75 outstanding bill.
As flagged by countless critics, however, Marshall, an obstetrician for more than two decades, sued more than 700 patients for debts, leading to at least 81 arrests.
“The guy who jailed 81 patients for unpaid bills didn’t pay his,” wrote journalist Molly Jong-Fast in a social media post on X, adding in a follow-up post: “I guess doctor marshall now sees how hard it is to keep up with those bills.”
Journalist Ryan Grim called Marshall’s response “absurd,” noting that if “Marshall was charged 18% interest like he charges his patients, the debt would be over $1800 at this point,” arguing that the GOP senator “got off easier than he lets his patients off.”
Financial journalist Joe Weisenthal called Marshall’s response an “instant classic,” and political journalist Josh Marshall sarcastically quipped that the Kansas Republican’s response was indicative of “when you’re totally winning.”
Democratic operative Pat Dennis argued Marshall should have been “dragged into court” over his outstanding cookie debt, and former Biden administration official Chris Meagher sarcastically called Marshall’s response a “strong closing message” heading into the midterms.
I guess doctor marshall now sees how hard to it is to keep up with those bills
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 10, 2026