‘Think This Was An Assault?’ Hearing Derails After Republican Calls Biden Official ‘Anti-American’ And Is Accused of McCarthyism

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) tore into EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Wednesday during a very tense House Oversight hearing, in which a Democrat accused Higgins of McCathy-like tactics.

“If you are concerned about the ecological impact of mankind upon your planet and you recognize that mankind is going to consume petrochemical products, then you would want it produced in the region of the earth where it’s produced the cleanest, under the most stringent regulations and the most industry-driven technological advancement to deliver clean, affordable product. That’s the United States of America,” Higgins began normally enough, before training his fire on Regan:

Men like Mr. Regan. Have carried a torch. 100%, driven by an agenda to smash the American energy industry. He’s the one that’s agenda-driven, not me. The American energy industry and the American petrochemical industry is, with no debate, the cleanest producer of affordable energy product and affordable petrochemical product in the world. And every one of you consume it. Own that. Because that’s where we are. In the future. I have no doubt that there will be a gradual transition to things unknown. This is the nature of life. This is the way things roll.

But to have an agenda-driven, Green New Deal, anti-American, anti-American energy, anti-American petrochemical agenda shoved down our throat. By an administration that claims its doing so on behalf of protecting the world’s ecological stability. By forcing the production of these products into regions of the world that have far less concern about their ecological impact. That is hypocrisy at its worst. And I, for one, am going to use every authority that Congress allows me to legally wield to push back against it. Mr. Chairman, I ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record the joint resolution 161, a joint resolution calling for the reversal of the EPA rule. Submitted by this gentleman and his department without a unanimous consent.

Higgins finally got around to questioning Regan and asked, “What’s your plans for next year?”

Regan replied, “Well, my plans are personal.”

As the two spoke over each other, Higgins clarified, “Professionally, do you have plans to continue your battle?”

During the crosstalk Regan made clear he didn’t plan to answer given Higgins’s attacks on him. Regan could be heard saying, “With you just, assaulting me and saying I’m un-American.”

“Think this was an assault?” Higgins replied menacingly.

“Now, you want to know what my plans,” Regan replied as Higgins cut in, “We definitely living in two different worlds. Oh, yeah.”

Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) jumped in with an inquiry and was recognized.

“Mr. Chairman, we disagree on a lot of issues in this committee a lot of times, but we always ought to look and put a stop sign in front of ourselves when we start assailing by name the personal integrity of any witness. I’ve mentioned this a few weeks ago with Mr. Fauci. It continues to happen. I want to make sure I’m on the record, so that members of the committee on both sides of the aisle, well, at least respect the personal integrity of a witness before this committee,” Mfume fumed.

After some more back and forth, Higgins added, “This is the Oversight Committee. This is where government is forced to sit in front of Congress and be held accountable for their actions.”

“Mr. Chairman? But it’s not. It’s not the McCarthy era. It’s not the McCarthy Committee!” Mfume hit back, referring to Higgins questioning Regan’s patriotism.

Watch above via C-SPAN.