The House Oversight Committee held an unusually heated session Thursday night, with lawmakers launching personal attacks while debating a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt. The resolution derives from Garland’s reluctance to comply with a congressional subpoena demanding President Joe Biden’s recorded deposition on sensitive papers from his time as senator and vice president. Hur eventually declined to charge Biden, citing his opinion of him as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The discussion became more tense when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) asked if any Democratic members of the committee hired the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York. Merchan’s daughter works for a political consultancy firm that Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) has hired.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) questioned the relevance of Greene’s inquiry, which led to a heated exchange:
GREENE: I’d like to know if any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchan’s daughter.
CROCKETT: Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland.
GREENE: Oh, Goldman. That’s right. He’s advising. Ok.
CROCKETT: Do you know what we’re here for? Do you know we’re here–
[CROSSTALK]GREENE: I think your fake eyelashes are messing up your–
COMER: Hold on! Hold on! Order.
COMER: We have a point of order. Mr. Lynch, state your point.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) intervened, demanding Chairman James Comer (R-KY) expunge Greene’s comments from the record:
“OCASIO-CORTEZ: Mr., I do have a point of order. And I would like to move to take down Ms. Greene’s words. That is absolutely unacceptable! How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person!
GREENE: Are your feelings hurt?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Move her words down!
GREENE: Aww.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Oh! Girl, baby, girl!
GREENE: Oh, really?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Don’t even play!
GREENE: Baby, girl? I don’t think so.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: We are gonna move and we are gonna take your words down.”
Comer declined to strike Greene’s words, leading to further clashes. Greene later referred to Ocasio-Cortez as “not intelligent.”
Tensions escalated further when Crockett raised a point of order questioning what constitutes a personal attack. The exchange culminated in a fiery confrontation between Crockett and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL):
“CROCKETT: Mr. Chair, point of order.
COMER: Ms. Crockett.
CROCKETT: I’m just curious. To better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleached blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?
COMER: A what now?
LUNA: Chairman, I make a motion to strike those words.
COMER: I don’t think that’s a parliament–
CROCKETT: I’m trying to find clarification on what qualifies–
COMER: I have no idea what you just said.
LUNA: We’re not gonna do this. Earlier, you guys–
[CACOPHONOUS CROSSTALK]COMER: Order! Order!
CROCKETT: I’m trying to get clarification!
LUNA: Calm down. Calm down.
CROCKETT: No, no, no! Because this is what y’all do. So, I’m trying to get clarification because y’all wanna play games and you don’t want me to–
LUNA: I can’t hear you with your yelling.
CROCKETT: –and you don’t want to
LUNA: Calm down.
CROCKETT: No! Don’t tell me to calm down because y’all talk noise and then you can’t take it!
LUNA: You’re outta control.
CROCKETT: Because if I come and talk shit about her, y’all gonna have a problem!”
The proceedings showcased the deep partisan divide and personal animosities within the committee, overshadowing the initial focus on Garland’s contempt resolution. The contentious hearing underscored the challenges of maintaining decorum and civility in highly polarized times.
Watch the full exchange below!
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