Republican lawmakers this week openly mocked Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., for claiming to have an “I am Spartacus” moment when he claimed to violate Senate rules by releasing emails related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, even though the emails had already been approved for release.
Booker insisted Thursday he was a Senate rule violator, even though the email he discussed in the hearing was OK’d for public release the night before. And after Booker dramatically laid claim to an “I am Spartacus” moment, Republicans mocked him for it.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tweeted out a picture of him talking to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, and captioned it, “You know … I knew Spartacus.”
“You know… I knew Spartacus.” pic.twitter.com/94eGPCkOp1
— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) September 6, 2018
Friday morning, Rubio joked about how Booker’s stunt might have played out in ancient Rome.
“On this day in 71B.C. the Thracian gladiator Spartacus was put to death by Marcus Licinius Crassus for disclosing confidential scrolls,” Rubio tweeted. “When informed days later that in fact the Roman Senate had already publicly released the scrolls, Crassus replied ‘Oh, ok, my bad.'”
On this day in 71B.C. the Thracian gladiator Spartacus was put to death by Marcus Licinius Crassus for disclosing confidential scrolls. When informed days later that in fact the Roman Senate had already publicly released the scrolls, Crassus replied “Oh, ok, my bad”.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 7, 2018
Spartacus was a gladiator slave who rose up to challenge Rome in the Third Servile War.
“I am Spartacus” was a line from a 1960 movie “Spartacs,” in which other slaves stand up and say “I am Spartacus” to protect the real Spartacus.
Over in the House, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., blasted Booker Thursday night for using the Kavanaugh hearing to boost his chances of running against Trump in 2020.
“What I watched over the last couple days was a lot of people who want to be the nominee in 2020, and it’s sad,” Gowdy said.
Arkansas’ former GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee joked Friday morning that Booker had the wrong movie.
“Turned out to be more like the #2 film of 1960, ‘Psycho,’ after it’s revealed the documents were released night before on request of Booker’s office,” Huckabee tweeted.
Did Cory Booker have a “Spartacus” moment, #1 film of 1960, w/ Kirk Douglas as leader of slave revolt against Roman oppressors? Turned out to be more like the #2 film of 1960, “Psycho,” after it’s revealed the documents were released night before on request of Booker’s office.
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) September 7, 2018
