Steve Mnuchin Clashes With Maxine Waters During Testimony: ‘You’re Ordering Me to Stay’

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin clashed with House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters after he tried to end his testimony before the congressional committee.

After Mnuchin requested an end to the testimony to meet with a foreign official, Waters acknowledged that he could “choose to do whatever you want” but wouldn’t close the hearing as other lawmakers had questions for the cabinet secretary.

“If you wish to keep me here so that I don’t have my important meeting and continue to grill me then if you do that I will cancel my meeting and I will not be back here,” Mnuchin told the chair after pulling his offer to “voluntarily” return before the committee. “I will be very clear if that’s the way you’d like to have this relationship.”

Waters also told Mnuchin that “no other secretary has ever told us the day before that they were going to limit their time in the way that you’re doing.”

After the secretary accused the California Democrat of “ordering me to stay here,” Waters denied the claim and allowed him to leave.

“Please dismiss everybody, I believe you’re supposed to take the gravel [sic] and bang it, that’s the appropriate way,” Mnuchin snarked, to which Waters replied, “Please don’t instruct me on how I’m supposed to conduct this committee.”

Mnuchin ultimately backed down from the clash, telling the committee he looks “forward to being back in May” and will “work on a date.” During his appearance today, he assured Democrats his department “will follow the law” as it pertains to the release of Trump’s tax returns.

Watch above, via ABC.