Dem Senator: GOP Making Lynch Hearing into ‘Soundbite Factory for Fox News’

Some Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned the witnesses called for the Loretta Lynch confirmation hearing. Senator Dianne Feinstein complained that Republicans just wanted to use the hearing as an excuse to beat up on President Obama and Eric Holder. But Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took things one step further in what he thought of the proceedings.

Just to recap, witnesses included Sharyl Attkisson, Milwaukee sheriff and regular Fox News guest David Clarke, law professor Jonathan Turley (who’s been critical of the DOJ and White House on many issues), and the head of a tea party group targeted by the IRS.

Whitehouse said all of the issues raised by these witnesses should be discussed as another time, but not in this forum:

“I regret that this hearing and this solemn occasion has been coopted, to that extent, and turned into what appears to be a soundbite factory for Fox News and conspiracy theorists everywhere.”

(The irony, of course, being that this quote itself will probably end up as a Fox soundbite by tonight.)

Update- 2:29 pm EST: Ted Cruz apologized later today for those comments:

Sen. Ted Cruz apologizes to witnesses for Sen. Whitehouse's comments abt hearing turning into soundbite for Fox

— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) January 29, 2015

Watch the video below, via C-SPAN:

[h/t C&L]
[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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