Secretary of State Marco Rubio was left stunned when a Democratic lawmaker packed up her things and walked out of a hearing after she used the totality of her time to ask him a series of questions and then berate him without allowing him the opportunity to respond to the accusations she made against the Trump administration. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) ripped into Rubio during a hearing, accusing him of calling out “corruption” in other countries, but not in the U.S.
Rubio attempted to jump in and address Kamlager-Dove’s concerns and accusations, but she continued to interrupt him and talk over him, getting so angry at one point she yelled at him. Moments later she got up and left the hearing, to which the secretary replied, “Well, thank you for coming.” When the California Democrat first started her rant with a series of questions, she steamrolled over the former Republican senator, getting mad at him for not saying anything.
“I can’t say anything because you won’t let me,” Rubio fired off. Rather than pausing so he could respond, Kamlager-Dove pressed forward. “It is about credibility… and your credibility meter is on empty right now. This oil, who determines the barrels of oil that gets sold? How many of them? At what price does it get sold? Where is it going?” she asked.
“The onus is on you to prove that there is no corruption happening. That is your responsibility as the Secretary of State. And you know what? Normally, we would have access to that data. That’s the transparency,” she continued. Rubio responded, “You just don’t know where to look.” The California lawmaker then said, “But you’re not showing us any receipts. Well, then show us. Do you commit to coming back here with whoever the person is who is monitoring the sales of the oil? Bring them before this committee.”
“Have the documentation. You don’t have this time yet. I am talking about your credibility and evidence, not your talking points,” Kamlager-Dove added as Rubio broke into laughter, according to a Mediaite report via Yahoo News. The Democratic congresswoman’s hostility hit a new level as she blistered Rubio, saying, “We are five months into this and no audits, zero visibility into the contracts that are awarded, zero transparency about where the money is going, and giving contracts with no transparency is exactly the reason why you shut down USAID, so practice what you preach.”
Rubio, who had been attempting to interject the entire time, retorted, “Oh, she gets to scream now, too?” Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) then requested that Kamlager-Dove’s words be taken down and offered to give the secretary some of her time so he could answer the Democrat’s questions. But then Kamlager-Dove collected her belongings and fled from the room.
“What kind of thing is this? What is this? You know, you get asked questions for five minutes, and you don’t get time to answer. It’s not a hearing. It’s like a dunk tank. What is this?” a stunned Rubio asked those attending the hearing. “How can I answer the question when you don’t even give me time?! I’ve had to use your time to answer their questions. Alright, whatever.”
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While Salazar spoke, heaping praise on Rubio for his contributions to public service as a Hispanic-American, Rubio was distracted by Kamlager-Dove’s exit from the room. “Why is she leaving? I’m going to answer her questions,” he said, more than a little bewildered. The Democrat’s voice can be heard yelling something in the background. “Oh, okay. Got it. Well, thank you for coming,” the secretary quipped, bringing the now-viral encounter to a close.