Lawmakers make a splash
Exchanges during Comeyrelated hearings raise eyebrows and some ire.
Members of state’s delegation raise eyebrows and some ire during high-profile hearings in D.C.
Fired FBI Director James B. Comey may have been the one getting the most attention, but California lawmakers generated plenty of their own headlines during high-profile hearings on Capitol Hill last week.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein had a memorable exchange with the man who said President Trump made him feel “uneasy.” Sen. Kamala Harris was cut off as she tried to question Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein — sparking outrage that is helping Democrats raise money for the 2018 midterm elections.
Democratic Reps. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough and Brad Sherman of Porter Ranch sat in the hearing room to watch the proceedings Thursday before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
And Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House intelligence panel probing the same questions as the Senate committee, was readying for the fight.
The Harris exchange Wednesday, the day before Comey testified, provided fodder for Democrats to use for fundraising.
As the freshman senator tried to ask Rosenstein about special counsel Robert Mueller’s independence in the investigation into Russia’s possible coordination with the Trump campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) jumped in to suggest she wasn’t letting the witness answer. She continued, pressing for a “yes” or “no” answer to whether Rosenstein could provide written confirmation assuring Mueller’s independence.
Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) was next to cut her off. “The committee is on notice to provide the witnesses the courtesy — which has not been extended all the way across — for questions to get answered,” he said.
The moment raised eyebrows on Twitter, with many comparing it to the attempt by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to stop Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) from filibustering Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing earlier this year.
“Nevertheless, she persisted,” McConnell said, igniting days of outrage and inspiring new campaign slogans.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is similarly trying to capitalize on the Harris incident with a fundraising email.
“Click here to show the GOP our women senators WILL NOT be intimidated or silenced from speaking out on issues that matter to Americans. Add your name today,” it read.
Harris also referenced the incident in her own fundraising email that focused on her uninterrupted questioning of Comey on Thursday. She added, “Thank you for standing with me yesterday when the GOP tried to shut me down.”
Feinstein, California’s senior senator who once served as the intelligence panel’s ranking Democrat, delivered one of the exchanges that stood out after three hours of Comey’s testimony. She was asking about President Trump’s request to pull back on the criminal investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
“You’re big, you’re strong,” Feinstein told Comey, who is 6 feet, 8 inches tall. “I know the Oval Office, and I know what happens to people when they walk in. There is a certain amount of intimidation. But why didn’t you stop and say, ‘Mr. President, this is wrong — I cannot discuss that with you’?”
“Maybe if I were stronger, I would have,” Comey replied. “I was so stunned by the conversation that I just took it in.”
As he answered, she nodded. (Online, people were commenting about her attire — Feinstein was the lone person on the dais wearing seersucker because she is among the small group of senators who participate in Seersucker Thursday.)
Another California lawmaker’s fashion attracted attention without him even saying a word Thursday.
Sherman had secured a prime seat in the room and was visible all day sitting directly behind Comey, often typing on an iPad. Twitter users noticed the congressman’s red tie was crooked and started calling him “red tie guy.” Sherman, who supports the idea of impeaching Trump, said he was there to listen for evidence of obstruction of justice.
Schiff, who will likely get a chance to question Comey himself, said in a statement, “It is difficult to overstate the significance of this testimony.” The Burbank Democrat has called on the president to release any tapes he might have of conversations with Comey.
Speier, also a member of the House intelligence panel, tweeted a photo of Comey taking the oath before his testimony with her own commentary attached: “Former FBI Director #Comey leaves no doubt @POTUS pressured him, ‘I took it as a direction. This is the President of the United States.’ ”
With the state having the largest congressional delegation, California is sure to remain part of the conversation as the probe continues.