Marco Rubio Congressional Hearing Explodes Into All-Out Brawl Over Deportations
Trump Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparked fury and a heated verbal brawl at a Senate hearing when he referenced a staged photo of Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and wrongly-deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Van Hollen came under attack from President Donald Trump and his supporters when he visited Garcia in El Salvador, and was photographed after Trump-supporting El Salvador President Nayib Bukele had margaritas placed on the table.
Rubio testified at a budget hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, during which Van Hollen spent a solid seven minutes dragging Rubio over a variety of issues, including the denial of due process in several cases.
Things got contentious as soon as Rubio began his answer, Van Hollen objected to a “flippant statement,” and Chairman Sen. James Risch (R-ID) roasted Van Hollen as he told him to let Rubio answer.
Van Hollen ended up brawling with both Rubio and Risch as he objected to the margarita photo and more:
And I have to tell you directly and personally That I regret voting for you for Secretary of State. I yield back. You may sit.
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: Well, first of all, your regret for voting for me confirms I’m doing a good job.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: That’s just a flippant statement, Mr. Secretary.
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: Can I respond, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: You may.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I didn’t ask the question.
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Senator, please let the Secretary have the floor.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I’d be happy to, but then I can respond to his…
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Your time’s up, Senator, and woefully used, I might add. Your remarks do not represent the view of this Committee.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well, Mr. Chairman…
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: I’d like to– I can’t respond to everything he said because much of these are untrue, but I’ll go through a few first of all I’m actually very proud of the work. We’ve done with USAID for example I don’t regret cutting 10 million dollars for male circumcisions in Mozambique I don’ know how that makes us stronger and more prosperous as a nation. I don’t regret the psycho social support services
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I raise soup and, Mr. Secretary, not most.
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Senator, Senator, I’d ask you to suspend. You had seven straight minutes.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I chose to use my time that way, Mr. Chairman. That’s my right to use it that way.
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Please suspend! Secretary Rubio.
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: Well, I can go on. I mean, there’s other things here. We spent $227,000 for Big Cat’s YouTube channel from USAID. We spent 14 million dollars for social cohesion in Mali, whatever the hell that means.
So I can on and on. I got the list here and there’s more. I didn’t even bring the whole list.
In the case of El Salvador, absolutely, absolutely. We deported gang members, gang members including the one that you had a margarita with. And that guy is a human trafficker. And that guy is a gangbanger, and the evidence is going to be clear in the days to come you’re going to see who you went to the funeral. No, no, no. Please, Secretary Rubio.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Mr. Chairman, look,.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Senator, please, Secretary Rubio has the floor!
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Mr. Chairman, he can’t make unsubstantiated comments like that.
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Senator, Secretary Rubeo has the floor. You had your time.
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Secretary Rubio should take that testimony to the federal court in the United States, because he hasn’t done it under oath!
CHAIRMAN JAMES RISCH: Senator!
SEC. MARCO RUBIO: Here’s another point, OK? There is a division in our government between the federal branch and the judicial branch.
No judge in the Judicial branch cannot tell me or the president how to conduct foreign policy.
Watch above via Reuters.
