At a recent Senate Budget Committee hearing, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) clashed with witness Dr. Natasha Sarin, Professor Of Law And Finance at Yale, over a tweet she posted about House Republicans and their stance on supporting Israel. The exchange became heated as Kennedy questioned Sarin’s statement and her failure to consult with Republican members before making the tweet. During the hearing, Senator Kennedy confronted Professor Sarin, asking, “How many Republican congressmen or women did you talk to before you made that statement?”
Dr. Sarin admitted that she did not speak to any Republicans before posting the tweet, which read, “The House Republican stance is, I kid you not, support for Israel as long as we make it easier for people to cheat on their taxes.” Senator Kennedy criticized Dr. Sarin for making such a claim without engaging in discussions with the lawmakers in question, stating, “I just can’t believe you would say this about members of Congress. It’s pretty pejorative. It’s vicious.”
The exchange continued as Senator Kennedy explored alternative motivations for House Republicans’ positions on reducing the IRS budget, suggesting that they might believe the IRS is inefficient and should not be rewarded with more funding. Dr. Sarin argued that defunding the IRS would worsen deficits, a point on which many experts agree. Kennedy pressed her on her lack of communication with House members, asking, “How do you know you didn’t talk to them?”
The contentious exchange prompted the committee chairman to intervene. Senator Kennedy defended his right to test the credibility of witnesses, stating, “I’m entitled to test their credibility, and I think one of our witnesses just got tested.” Dr. Sarin responsed “I hope, I passed Senator thank you.” Leading Kennedy to reply “You didn’t.” The hearing underscored the challenges and tensions that can arise during congressional inquiries, particularly when witnesses and lawmakers have differing opinions and beliefs.
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Prof: GOPs make it easier to cheat taxes; Kennedy: reward IRS inefficient, appalling, immature