Some of the highest-profile women in the House clashed in a chaotic hearing Thursday night, slinging personal insults and frustrating Chairman James Comer, the leader of investigations into the Biden administration that have so far failed to yield any major bombshells.
The yelling match was instigated by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia at a meeting of the House Oversight Committee. The committee met to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who led the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released the full transcript of the interview, but the White House on Thursday claimed executive privilege to withhold the recording, a move backed by the DOJ. White House counsel Ed Siskel argued that House Republicans would selectively edit and “distort” the audio for partisan political attacks.
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Earlier on Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee voted on a similar motion to hold Garland in contempt. The Oversight panel was set to hold its hearing in the afternoon but delayed it for a group of far-right members who had traveled to New York City to support former President Donald Trump in his ongoing hush-money trial.
Very quickly, the hearing went off the rails. Greene, a Trump ally and far-right member who recently failed to oust the House speaker, made a dig at Rep. Dan Goldman of New York related to the Trump trial. That prompted Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas to ask: “What does that have to do with Merrick Garland?” and, “Do you know what we’re here for?”
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“I don’t know you know what we’re doing,” Greene said. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
Greene’s dig spurred a heated exchange with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called Greene’s comments “absolutely unacceptable” and demanded her words be taken down.
“That is absolutely unacceptable! How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person. Move her words down.”
“Aww, are your feelings hurt?” Greene sarcastically asked.
“Oh girl, baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez hit back.
“Baby girl? I don’t think so,” Greene said.
Greene later challenged Ocasio-Cortez on why she wouldn’t debate her.
“I think it’s pretty self-evident,” Ocasio-Cortez replied.
“Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene hit back, spurring a round of boos and jeers from committee members.
Crockett is a first-term member of Congress from the Dallas area and, while not a member of the progressive “Squad,” often is allied with its members, including Ocasio-Cortez.
Comer struggled to control the situation. After some discussion of parliamentary procedure, Comer ruled that Greene’s dig lacked decorum but did not violate rules against attacking other members. Greene agreed to strike her words but refused to apologize.
Crockett then raised a point of order with an alliterative insult seemingly aimed at Greene.
“I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
“A what now?” a stunned Comer replied.
Comer, who wears hearing aids, said the shouting and crosstalk made it difficult for him to quell the unfolding brouhaha as Ocasio-Cortez later moved to strike Greene’s remarks insulting her intelligence.
“I’m not understanding, everybody’s yelling, I’m doing the best I can,” he said.
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Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s ranking member, also tried to get a handle on the chaos.
“We’re happy to revive our motion to adjourn, Mr. Chairman,” Raskin joked. “I think these 17-hour days might not work for us.”
The barb-trading then returned to Goldman, who served as a counsel for Trump’s first impeachment trial. GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida knocked Goldman as a “trust fund kid.” Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico also charged that members of Congress in the room not on the committee were drinking alcohol in the chamber well.
“I think my body’s pretty good. I’m going to be 50 this month,” Greene said before the hearing moved on to a vote over whether she would be barred from speaking for the rest of the hearing.
That motion failed, though Greene’s one-time ally and now adversary, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, joined Democrats in voting in favor.
The hearing lasted over three hours, ending with the committee moving to advance the contempt proceedings against Garland.
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