Mediaboss Marketing

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill Wednesday.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Patrick Leahy grew frustrated with Ted Cruz at a Supreme Court confirmation hearing Wednesday.

"I know the junior senator from Texas likes to get on television," Leahy said.

Cruz interrupted Sen. Mazie Hirono's questioning by trying to enter a letter into the record.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont on Wednesday suggested Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was merely playing for the TV cameras in a tense moment on the third day of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Following the conclusion of tense questioning from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley about Jackson's record on sentencing child-pornography offenders, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, recognized Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii to begin her questioning next.

After cross talk between Cruz and Hirono, Leahy quickly became exasperated.

"Mr. Chairman, I waived my turn on here, and I've been on this committee for 47 years," he said. "I think we ought to follow the regular order."

Cruz began speaking again, asking to enter a letter from 10 of the committee's Republican members into the congressional record.

"I'm sorry, senator, I don't want to go through this again," Durbin said, alluding to an earlier interaction in which Durbin repeatedly banged his gavel as Cruz continued to question Jackson after his allotted time had expired.

As Cruz went on, Leahy spoke up again.

"Mr. Chairman," the veteran lawmaker said, "I know the junior senator from Texas likes to get on television, but most of us have been here a long time, trying to follow the rules."

Leahy served as chair of the committee from 2001 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2015.

"Let's get back to regular order," he added.

Leahy also expressed frustration earlier Wednesday at another Republican on the committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who repeatedly interrupted Jackson as she answered his questions and spoke over his allotted time. At the time, Leahy had also called for order in the hearing.

Story continues

Leahy later emerged from the hearing room and said Graham's behavior was "beyond the pale" and that he was "badgering" Jackson.

"As the dean of the Senate," the Vermont Democrat told NBC News, "I'm just distressed to see this kind of a complete breakdown of what's normally the way the Senate's handled."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Link:
Top Democrat dings Ted Cruz for talking out of turn during Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing: 'I know the junior senator from Texas likes...