Morning Joe Gets Heated After GOP Rep. Dismisses Tax Bill Question: ‘Let Me Finish!’

A Morning Joe segment with Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) derailed after the congressman snapped at his interviewers over their persistent questions about the GOP tax bill making its way through Congress.

With the House preparing to vote on the final version of the plan this afternoon, Brady — the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee — began the conversation by stating that the bill will be passed and America will get a “long overdue” tax code. And that was pretty much the last time it was not uncomfortable during the segment.

Co-host Willie Geist immediately began grilling the Texas lawmaker, pressing him on the issue of carried interest and how very wealthy people will benefit greatly from the GOP plan. Brady continuously brushed off Geist’s question, claiming that it was a “perfect example I think of why Washington and New York get caught up in all these ancillary issues” and how they are forgetting the “big picture.”

Brady then began to sneeringly dismiss Geist, openly mocking him for asking about carried interest. When it was pointed out that the issue was one that President Donald Trump talked about constantly on the campaign trail, Brady accused Geist of being “obsessed with one issue” before taking a pointed shot at Morning Joe.

“At the end of the day, keep talking about this,” Brady snarked. “This is why the American public turns off these shows, unfortunately.”

Well, Joe Scarborough wasn’t going to take that lying down.

After defending his program’s ratings, stating it has “been a very good year,” Scarborough sternly told Brady that Trump promised to pass a tax bill that would help working-class people while pledging to take it to the hedge fund guys.

As JoeScar was rolling, Brady attempted to jump back in, but the host wasn’t having it.

“Let me finish!” Scarborough exclaimed. “Let me finish!”

Scarborough went on to claim that workers in Brady’s district that don’t make a lot of money are paying double the tax rate as those getting the benefit of the carried interest provision.

The segment would wrap up with Brady walking back his ratings crack while claiming that he would prefer to talk about other provisions of the tax bill than “obsess” over carried interest.

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

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