PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A PAC controlled by House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello gave $1,000 — the maximum donation state law allows — to Michael Earnheart, the Trump-voting former Republican who is challenging progressive female legislator Moira Walsh in the September Democratic primary.

State Democratic Party Chairman Joseph McNamara rescinded his endorsement of Earnheart over Walsh in a Providence House race amid national headlines about the uproar among Rhode Island Democrats over the state party’s apparent snub of progressive women. "Will & Grace" actress Debra Messing — who grew up in East Greenwich — was among those taking to Twitter in Walsh's defense.

Mattiello has not responded to inquiries about why his "Fund for Democratic Leadership" donated to Republican-turned-Democrat Earnheart's campaign to unseat Walsh. The contribution was one of 18 $1,000 contributions the PAC made to Democratic lawmakers and candidates for House seats held by Republicans or currently open.

"Bwahahahaha. I guess I really made him angry," Walsh tweeted.

"Quick shoutout to @RISpeaker," she later added. "Thank you for getting involved with my opponent, it brings me great press and tons of donations. Thanks for all your help, nick!"

Earnheart did not disclose the July 25 contribution from the Mattiello-controlled PAC on the campaign report filed this week for the period that ran from July 1 through Aug. 14. In fact, he disclosed only two sources of money: a $4,050 personal loan and an unspecified $275 "in-kind contribution" from Mattiello's mail-ballot guru, Ed Cotugno of Greenville.

Earnheart told The Journal he would issue a statement soon. The short version: "I don't have the check."

He said he never received the check because, he has deduced from the PAC filing, it was sent to the wrong address — 43 Charles St. instead of 433 Charles St., where he lives. "That should be a good story instead of going around making assumptions," Earnheart said, blaming the media.

"If you all did any due diligence whatsoever, this would be a non-issue. I'm disappointed," Earnheart said before he hung up on a Journal reporter.

State GOP Chairman Brandon Bell — who is himself a candidate running against an incumbent who got $1,000 from Mattiello — issued this statement: "Tricky Nicky Mattiello and his back-stabbing staffer Leo Skenyon will never forgive Representative Walsh for exposing the 'insane amount of drinking' that has been going on at the State House.

"But more importantly," said Bell, "how can Rhode Island Democrats ever criticize Republicans for supporting President Trump, when the House Speaker through his PAC is donating to a pro-Trump former Republican against an incumbent Democrat? Any Rhode Island Democrat who supports the Speaker after this cannot, with a straight face, ever criticize a Republican when they agree with the President."

The 27-year-old Walsh has been a proverbial thorn in the side of the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly since she went on radio, soon after her arrival at the State House in 2017, and talked about how much drinking she saw there. More recently, she joined the dissidents on the House floor in denouncing a watered-down version of a pay-equity bill.

In an impassioned speech on June 21, Walsh said: “I think it is unwise to put into law that sexism is legal as long as you have less than 18 workers. I don’t think it is wise for a room that is so heavily weighted toward men to be telling women what they do and do not deserve."

“I think that a room that is 70 percent men telling women that they should be grateful for the crumbs that fall off their plate is shameful,” said Walsh, alluding to the male-dominated makeup of the House of Representatives.

Earnheart told The Journal, in an interview this summer, that he switched his party affiliation back to Democrat from Republican last December because he feels “far more aligned" with the Democratic Party, never liked the national GOP’s attempt to squash gay marriage, always had an itch to run for office and felt that someone needed to challenge the “far-left” Walsh from within her own party, or she’d have a “cake-walk” to reelection as the state representative for House District 3 in Providence.

Walsh produced copies of Earnheart’s deleted tweets, including one that said: “Just so you are aware, illegals are self-entitled lawbreakers and thieves, stealing jobs and government benefits meant for our own people.” Another that appeared to come from his @maearnheart Twitter account talked about Muslims and Jews, with this observation: “Rape culture is literally being created by these Muslim grooming gangs.”

A photograph of Earnheart at a Trump rally carrying a MAGA [“Make America Great Again”] sign that had appeared on the UpriseRI.com advocacy blog also circulated.

After a grand jury cleared the police officer who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Earnheart acknowledges posting a now-deleted tweet that said: “Justice was served.”