During the House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday evening, tensions escalated between Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) as they exchanged harsh words. The meeting began on a tumultuous note regarding the meeting’s purpose — the committee members were debating whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt and why the meeting was scheduled so late in the day. Greene stirred controversy by questioning if any Democrats on the committee were employing Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter, making reference to the New York hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump.
Crockett responded by questioning the relevance of Greene’s remarks to the discussion on Garland. Greene fired back by criticizing Crockett’s fake eyelashes, sparking further outrage among the attendees, particularly Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who demanded Greene’s words be stricken from the record.
The heated exchange between Greene and Ocasio-Cortez caused a disruption, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Chairman James Comer (R-KY) attempting to restore order. Despite demands for an apology, Greene refused and even challenged Ocasio-Cortez to a debate, questioning her intelligence.
As tensions escalated, Crockett made derogatory comments about Greene’s appearance, further fueling the conflict. The meeting devolved into a shouting match, with Luna intervening to calm Crockett down.
By 10 p.m., a vote on holding Garland in contempt had not been taken. Earlier in the day, the House Judiciary Committee had advanced a contempt resolution against Garland for failing to provide audio recordings related to a classified documents case. Oversight Democrats expressed frustration over the delay in the hearing, attributing it to several Republicans leaving to support Trump in his trial in Manhattan.
