Laughter erupts as James Comer blanks in House hearing: ‘I wasn’t paying attention’
A hearing room for the House Oversight Committee erupted into laughter Wednesday after the committee chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), blanked on a question asked by a Democratic committee member.
Wednesday’s hearing saw the committee fiercely debate whether to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena to testify about their connections to Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Challenging the measure was Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who pressed Comer on whether the committee had already been informed that the Clintons were willing to testify on the record.
“It's my understanding that you guys have received correspondence by phone, email and a written letter from the attorneys from the Clintons offering to [testify] on the record, with you, with the staff... is that correct?” Stansbury asked.
“I didn't... I wasn't paying attention to your question,” Comer admitted, sparking an eruption of laughter in the room, including from Stansbury, who moved to ask her question again, albeit more slowly.
“Okay – we're pursuant to a motion you brought for contempt, and the claim is that you have made reasonable accommodations and that [the Clintons] have not been responsive,” Stansbury repeated.
“But they have transmitted correspondence to all of the members of the committee – including yourself – including a letter from their attorneys stating that they have offered by phone, by email to meet with you, on the record, to give sworn statements. Is that correct?”
Comer’s first reaction was to speak of how the Clintons had been given “five months” to appear before Congress before being pressed by Stansbury again: “yes or no,” she asked.
“You all are trying to create a false narrative!” Comer fired back. “You've had five months, you should have gotten to the Clintons before the contempt vote!”
Stansbury asked once more for Comer to answer her question, but was met with silence as Comer’s aides could be seen speaking with him quietly.
“Just to be clear for the public, his staff are advising the chairman to not answer that question,” Stansbury alleged.
Comer fired back at Stansbury once more.
“No, the staff said they couldn't understand what the hell you were saying because you blabbered for three minutes!” Comer said.
The Clintons have, in fact, refused to testify before Congress, and despite having been issued congressional subpoenas. Both have challenged Comer’s authority to demand they testify, and have accused the lawmaker’s request of being politically motivated.Trump attacks ‘people I can’t stand’ in crowd at speech: ‘I would screw them if I could’
President Donald Trump lamented that he couldn't "screw" people whom he didn't like during a rant at the World Economic Forum.
While speaking to CEOs in Davos on Wednesday, Trump bragged that companies were building plants in the U.S.
"It's amazing what's going on. Look, it's amazing. We've never had anything like it or close. Nobody else has it," he remarked. "I don't even ask anybody how you're doing now. It's like everybody is making so much money."
"And we have so many people in this room that have done a job," he continued. "I said, you've doubled your net worth since I've been president, right? He said, yeah, even more than that. They would say even more. We're doing even better than that."
But Trump's remarks took a turn as he spotted a few perceived enemies in the room.
"In a way, I'm jealous. In a way, I'm upset. There are a couple of people in the room," he said. "I can't stand them, and they've become very rich. There's nothing I can do about it."
"I would screw them if I could, but I can't do it, right?" he added. "I can't do it. I would have had a chance, or I could just take them and say, you can't do what Apple's doing, but you're not allowed to do that, Newt Gingrich, right? We can't do it."
"But I would love to do it, really, you know? It's one of those things, but everybody's making a lot of money."
