Senate Democrats were expected to allow a vote on Donald Trump’s CIA nominee Mike Pompeo last Friday. That is, until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had a sudden change of heart. Republicans weren’t happy, and Sen. Tom Cotton confronted Schumer. Things got heated.
Cotton angrily confronted Schumer about his broken promise. According to witnesses, Schumer told Cotton to lower his voice and asked him move off of the Senate floor to an adjacent hallway for a private discussion. “We need to take this out into the hallway,” Schumer said. Cotton walked with Schumer but loudly rejected his first request. “Don’t tell me to lower my voice!” he shouted, with an additional salty admonition tacked on for emphasis. Burr and Cornyn were present, as was Senator Mark Warner, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and several aides.
Schumer told Cotton that the Senate had never previously confirmed a CIA director on Inauguration Day and if Cotton had been around eight years earlier, he’d know that Republicans didn’t extend that courtesy for incoming president Barack Obama.
Cotton’s response?
“Eight years ago, I was getting my ass shot at in Afghanistan. So don’t talk to me about where I was 8 years ago.”
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Schumer: 0
Cotton: 87,456,357,256,236,778,999,257,245