Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., is a good example of why there should be a Supreme Court-style ban on cameras in congressional hearings.
The way things are now, approximately 99.9 percent of what is said during hearings is solely for the benefit of donors and constituents. It has little to do with actual fact-finding and everything to do with putting on a good show. In other words, on-camera hearings are generally a waste of time for anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves hauled before one of these circuses.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, for example, sat patiently Thursday as Gutierrez accused her of lying amid a rant about her agency, the New Testament, Christmas, Egypt, and King Herod. It was … different. The kicker: The Illinois congressman didn’t even stick around for Nielsen’s response following his Christmas-themed dressing-down.
“The majority on this committee must think you’re doing a fantastic job because they’ve ordered this hearing so you could come before us and look tough and remorseless just in time for the holidays. The remorseless secretary during the holidays,” Gutierrez said.
He added, “I suspect that if you still have your job, which seems to always be a big question, in three weeks, we’ll see if you have the same sympathetic questions when you come back.”
The congressman then turned his attention to the administration’s immigration policies and Christmas.
“It is repugnant to me and astonishing to me that during Christmas … a time in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a Jesus Christ who had to flee for his life with Mary and Joseph,” he said. “Thank God there wasn’t a wall that stopped him from seeking refuge in Egypt. Thank God that wall wasn’t there, and thank God there wasn’t an administration like this or he would, too, have perished.”
“Maybe I haven’t gone a lot to Bible school, but I know that part,” he continued. “Thank God. Shame on everybody that separates children and allows them to stay on the other side of the border fearing death, fearing sickness. Shame on us for wearing our badge of Christianity during Christmas, and allowing the secretary to come here and lie.”
Nielsen responded, “I’m not a liar. We’ve never had a policy for family separation. I’m happy to walk the gentleman through it again.”
As she spoke, Gutierrez exited the chamber.
“A policy of family separation would mean that any family I encountered in the interior, I would separate. It would mean that any family that I found at a port of entry, I would separate,” she said. “It would mean that every single family that I found illegally crossing, we would separate. We did none of those. What we did do is uphold the laws that Congress has passed, and we prosecuted those who choose to come here illegally.”
She added in reference to the congressman’s remarks, “I take personal offense on behalf of the 240,000 men and women of the Department of Homeland Security.”
That would’ve been a solid rebuke — had the congressman bothered to stick around. Good talk. I feel like we all learned a lot today.
