A House Oversight hearing on government “weaponization” got heated after Democratic Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) clashed with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and accused Republicans of using a “playbook” that includes “false narratives” about the 2020 election and the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
During her opening statement, Plaskett blasted Jordan for only providing access to documentation minutes before the event.
She compared Jordan’s tactics to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) decision to give Fox News host Tucker Carlson thousands of hours of video from Jan. 6.
“This is unacceptable,” she explained. “I’m ready for it. I don’t know if a lot of other people are, but just as it was unacceptable for Kevin McCarthy to provide 41,000 hours of sensitive security footage to a biased talking head in an effort to rewrite what happened on January 6th.”
“This is a new Republican playbook, apparently. Risk American safety and security to score political points,” Plaskett insisted.
“The gentlelady’s word should be struck,” one Republican on the panel shouted. “That is out of line and outside the rules of this committee,” he added.
Plaskett objected.
“You don’t get to determine what’s struck down,” Jordan snapped, declining to take down her words.
“This is a false narrative. We’re engaging in false narratives here, and we [Democrats] are going to tell the truth,” Plaskett said, prompting a response from Jordan.
“You guys don’t care,” Jordan replied. “You don’t care. You don’t want the American people to see what happened. The full video, transparency, you don’t want that.”
“And you don’t want [the testimony of] two journalists who have been named personally by the Biden administration FTC in a letter,” the Ohio Republican added. “They’re here to tell their story. And frankly, I think they’re brave individuals for being willing to come after they’ve been named in a letter from the Biden FTC.”
“Is this your question time?” Plaskett asked.
“No, I’m responding to your ridiculous statements you made in your in your opening statement,” Jordan ranted.
“OK, well, let’s get on with it,” Plaskett said.
“Oh, now we want to get on with it. So you can say all the things you want?” Jordan complained.
“I did in my opening statement as well as you had an opening statement,” Plaskett remarked. “You said what you needed to say in your opening statement. And I, as the ranking member, have used my time!”
Watch the exchange in the video below.
