A heated exchange erupted during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, as Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., lashed out at Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, over a meme posted by the Judiciary GOP’s X account.
The meme, which featured a photo of former President Donald Trump holding a duck and a kitten, was meant to highlight the absurdity of a recent claim made by a man in Springfield, Ohio, that Haitian nationals were allegedly eating pets in the local park. An Ohio woman was charged last month for allegedly killing and eating a cat, although there’s no indication she’s a Haitian national, according to the New York Post. A Haitian national was, however, detained by police in Springfield last year after he drove into a school bus, killing an 11-year-old and injuring 23 other students.
Swalwell, who has faced scrutiny in the past for his own personal scandals, became agitated when he saw the meme displayed during the hearing. “What in the hell is this?” he exclaimed, pointing at the image. “Are you okay, Mr. Chairman?” he asked Jordan, suggesting that the meme was a distraction from the serious issues at hand.
However, Swalwell’s own credibility on the issue of foreign interference in U.S. affairs is questionable, given his past association with Christine Fang, a Chinese Communist Party spy who reportedly raised millions of dollars for his campaign. Swalwell’s attempt to feign concern for the witnesses who testified about the consequences of the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies rang hollow, as he focused instead on attacking Jordan over the meme.
The hearing was meant to highlight the devastating consequences of the administration’s immigration policies, which have led to a surge in the population of Haitian nationals in Springfield, Ohio. However, Swalwell’s outburst overshadowed the serious issues at hand, and raised questions about his own fitness to serve on the committee.
Jordan, meanwhile, remained calm and composed, despite Swalwell’s tantrum. The meme, he explained, was meant to draw attention to the serious issues facing the community.
