Confirmation Hearing Goes Wild After John Kennedy Tells Biden OCC Nominee ‘I Don’t Know Whether to Call You Professor or Comrade’
A hearing for the Senate Banking Committee went off the rails when Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) sparred with Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) over the insinuation that Saule Omarova is a communist.
Omarova, a law professor at Cornell University, appeared before the committee for a hearing on her nomination by President Joe Biden to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Her nomination has become a subject of controversy, however, because of her birth in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, and her past publication of economic theories that prompted accusations of supporting nationalized control over banks, prices, and the free market. The Hill notes that Omarova has been an American citizen for more than 15 years and is a veteran of the George W. Bush administration.
As the hearing got underway, Republicans accused Omarova of backing “radical” and “socialist” economic ideas, while Brown derided this line of thinking as “Trumpism meets McCarthyism.” When Kennedy got his turn to ask questions, he immediately focused on Omarova’s involvement in a communist youth group.
Omarova explained that as a child growing up in a former Soviet satellite, “everyone” was a member of that organization, and “that was a part of normal progress in school.” Kennedy interrogated her on whether she ever formally renounced the group, but Brown interjected to remind Kennedy “she renounced her Soviet citizenship.”
From there, Kennedy ran through a number of written works and economic opinions Omarova expressed over the years. He finished by telling her “you have the right to believe every one of these things. You do. This is America. But I don’t mean any disrespect. I don’t know whether to call you professor or comrade.”
Kennedy’s charge drew an audible gasp of “oh my goodness,” and Omarova responded by telling him “I’m not a communist. I do not subscribe to that ideology. I could not choose where I was born. I do not remember joining any Facebook group that subscribes to [Marxist] ideology. I would never knowingly join any such group.”
After Omarova finished speaking, Brown interjected again and retorted to Kennedy’s previous accusation of repeatedly interrupting him at hearings.
“That’s not true,” Kennedy responded. “I’m entitled to ask my questions!”
The melee spilled out from there as Kennedy accused Brown of breaking his entitlement to “senatorial courtesy,” while Brown accused him of conducting a “character assassination.”
“Well that’s your opinion,” Kennedy shot back, and the kerfuffle went on until Brown moved on to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) time.
Watch above, via CSPAN.
