A House oversight meeting turned chaotic Thursday when Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene insulted each other – and even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into the mix.
The hearing was held to discuss the attorney general’s arrest Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress – became agitated after Greene mocked Crockett for wearing fake eyelashes.
Here’s what you need to know about the situation and what’s been said in recent days.
➡️ Who is Jasmijn Crockett?
In 2023, Crockett became the U.S. Representative for Texas’ 30th Congressional District, which represents parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties. Before her role in Congress, Crockett served in the Texas House of Representatives. Previously a public defender, she later opened her own law firm, where she represented a number of clients, including more than 400 protesters whom she represented pro bono.
🚨 What happened during the hearing? What did Marjorie Taylor Greene say about Crockett?
Republicans are moving forward with contempt charges against Garland for failing to comply with subpoenas for audio recordings related to an investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents.
On Thursday, Crockett suggested Greene was unaware of the purpose of the hearing. Greene, the controversial representative of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, replied to the congresswoman: “I think your fake eyelashes are ruining what you’re reading.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer called for order, while Ocasio-Cortez called on the committee to note Greene’s “unacceptable” words as they constituted a personal attack on Crockett. This gives the speaker a chance to withdraw words that are considered out of order.
However, this only led to a more contentious discussion, with Greene replying, “Are your feelings hurt?”
Ocasio-Cortez fired back: “Oh girl, girl. Don’t even play.”
Greene agreed to cut her words but refused to apologize for them as the feud between her and AOC continued. Comer, meanwhile, continued to call for the women to stop. Greene called on Ocasio-Cortez to “debate” her before saying the congresswoman didn’t have “enough intelligence” to do so.
🗣️ Crockett strikes back
Comer ultimately ruled that Greene did not violate the house rules with the comment about Crockett’s appearance. Crockett then asked, “I’m just curious, just to better understand your statement: If someone on this committee then starts talking about someone’s bleach blonde, poorly built, toned body, that wouldn’t be dealing with personalities, would it?”
The House quickly descended into chaos again, with Comer pleading with everyone to stop “yelling.”
Democrats then tried to enforce rules to prevent Greene from speaking further, but Republicans voted to allow her to continue. Comer called for a recess to discuss the rules debates and reminded members to maintain the “House decorum standard” upon their return.
💬 Crockett calls Greene’s comments ‘racist’
Crockett made it clear that she did not approve of Greene’s comments about her performance in a Thursday post on X. “So MTG wanted to talk about my performance in COMMITTEE?!” Crockett wrote. “This is what happens when people with intellectual disabilities who can’t read and follow the rules or just don’t care…somehow end up in CONGRESS!”
She also called Greene’s comments racist in an interview with reporters on Friday, stating that Greene’s words were more of the same from MAGA Republicans.
When asked for clarification, Crockett said, “When I went viral, instead of them trying to address the things I had laid out in a very factual way, they tried to say, ‘Oh, look. at her hair,” or “Look at her nails,” or “Look at her eyelashes,” and they would all associate everything I do as a form of beautification with “ghetto” without quotes.”
She added, “I’m not the only woman in Congress who wears eyelashes, and there are women on her side of the aisle who also wear eyelashes, as well as hair extensions. But she never felt like she had to express that to anyone except me, a black woman who sits on the committee.”
🚨 Greene says her comments were ‘facts’ and not ‘attacks on personalities’
Greene – who is infamous for her outspoken and often bizarre comments – wrote on X on Friday: “Every committee hearing. Every floor speech. Democrats attack, smear and hurl personal insults at President Trump. Just like Jamie Raskin did in his opening statement last night. How ridiculous it is that the Speaker is mouthing off on decorum when our opposition refuses to follow it at all. AOC is not intelligent. Jasmine Crockett has fake eyelashes. These are not attacks on personalities. These are just facts.”
Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, called the situation a “failure of leadership” by Comer.
“When the chairman of the committee refused to simply retire her words and have them removed, like [Ocasio-Cortez] immediately did so, but when he refused to do so, it unleashed chaos in the committee at that moment,” he said.
Raskin also said it is “worth investigating” whether lawmakers drank during Thursday’s hearing, after Axios reported that Rep. Melanie Stansbury complained that non-committee members were “drinking in the hearing room.”
