Dallas Rep. Jasmine Crockett has no regrets on clash with Marjorie Taylor Greene over 'fake eyelashes' insult
DALLAS - Verbal fireworks broke out in a congressional hearing Thursday night.
Dallas Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's argument opened a bigger conversation about the dysfunction in Congress.
Thursday night’s sparring of words could be best described as the state of Congress right now.
Congresswoman Crockett told FOX 4 she does not regret anything she said and will not tolerate being disrespected.
It all started when the Georgia congresswoman commented on the Dallas congresswoman’s appearance during a U.S. House oversight committee meeting.
"I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading," Greene told Crockett.
The Republican committee chair ruled that Greene's comment did not violate the rules.
That’s when Crockett asked him to clarify and took a shot at Greene.
"I'm curious," Crockett said. "To better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee starts talking about someone's bleach blonde, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities?"
"A lot of people on the Republican side and the Democratic side just simply don't like each other," said SMU Political Scientist Matthew Wilson.
The purpose of the meeting was to hold a vote of contempt for the attorney general, which eventually happened — but not before things spiraled out of control.
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House committee meeting erupts into chaos after 'fake eyelash' insult
A House Committee hearing turned into chaos when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene responded to a question from Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett by telling her "I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading."
Crockett says she has no regrets.
"I don't," she admitted. "I think that it is wild for someone to say, ‘I will represent you.’ And for me, that means representing almost a million people. And I will fight for you and fight to make your life better. And then when I'm attacked, I am unable to fight for myself."
Wilson said this speaks to the larger issue of a dysfunctional Congress. It’s one reason older members have decided to retire.
"A lot of people who have served in Congress for decades say, ‘Look, I remember when it wasn't like this. I remember when there was a decent amount of cordiality between Democrats and Republicans even if they disagreed on policy,’" he said.
Crockett said it’s a sentiment her predecessor, the late Eddie Bernice Johnson, told her before she retired.
"You're talking about somebody that had entered Congress 30 years before me, and she felt like this was different in the sense that this is worse," she said. "That's a problem. And it tells you where we are in this country."
Crockett said prior to the blowup, Democrats tried to get Greene removed from the meeting but were unsuccessful.