House committee meeting turns into chaos amid personal insults between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jasmine Crockett

WASHINGTON – Criticism of one member’s “false eyelashes” and another’s intelligence. A question about discussing a member’s “poorly built, bleached blonde body.”

A House Oversight Committee meeting Thursday night descended into chaos amid personal attacks and partisan bickering in a rare late-night session that was expected to revolve around a resolution recommending that Attorney General Merrick Garland be detained for disrespect for Congress.

The already tense hearing was completely derailed when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., responded to a question from Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, by saying, “I think your false eyelashes are getting in the way of what you’re reading.”

Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., immediately moved to remove Greene’s words from the record and make her apologize to Crockett.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Ocasio-Cortez said during cross-talk. “How dare you attack another person’s physical appearance?”

Greene taunted Ocasio-Cortez, asking, “Are your feelings hurt?”

“Oh, girl? Girl,” Ocasio-Cortez responded. “Don’t even joke.”

Greene lashed out at a second member just minutes after criticizing Crockett, saying Ocasio-Cortez didn’t have “enough intelligence” for a debate.

Greene asked Ocasio-Cortez, “Why don’t you debate me?”

The New York congresswoman responded that she thought “that was quite evident.”

“You don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene said, as members of Congress audibly groaned at the Georgia lawmaker’s attack.

Greene agreed to attack Crockett but steadfastly refused to apologize for the night’s attacks, declaring, “You’ll never get an apology from me.”

Republicans on the committee eventually voted on a motion to table, or cancel, a motion to strike Greene’s words to Crockett from the record.

After the vote, Crockett asked Comer for clarification to understand his decision on personal attacks on members of Congress.

“I’m just curious, just to better understand your decision,” Crockett said. “If someone on this committee starts talking about someone’s bleach blonde and poorly built, muscular body, that wouldn’t be engaging in personalities, right?”

Chaos erupted again, with one member instructing Crockett to “calm down.”

“I have two hearing aids. I’m very deaf,” Comer said after the crosstalk took over. “I don’t understand – everyone is screaming. I’m doing the best I can.”

After the committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., agreed to attack Greene’s insult of Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats sought to enforce committee rules that would have barred Greene from speaking for the remainder of the hearing. Republicans voted to allow her to speak.

Ultimately, he called a brief recess amid debate over questions about a rule for members who have comments expunged from the record but wish to speak. Upon his return, he reminded members to observe “the standard of decorum in the House.”

Greene was ultimately recognized for speaking for more than four minutes, during which she reiterated that she would not apologize.

“I will not apologize for my words and I will not change them,” Greene said.

Nearly an hour after the hearing was adjourned, the committee returned to debating whether Garland should be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur over the handling of documents. confidential.

Tensions were already high after a long day, with Republicans peppering Democratic member Jamie Raskin’s opening remarks with interruptions.

The meeting was originally scheduled for 11 am, but was moved to 8 pm after several members of the commission traveled to New York to attend the trial of former President Donald Trump.

The committee voted to recommend Garland be held in contempt following Thursday night’s controversial meeting.