Rep. Rashida Tlaib confronted a conservative witness and accused her of lying as well as being involved in a “conspiracy” during a House hearing.

The Michigan Democrat engaged in a strange exchange with the witness on Tuesday during testimony on vaping at a House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy hearing.

(Video: CSPAN3)

Tlaib seemed to have a problem with 51-year-old Vicki Porter who was invited by Republican members of the committee to share her experiences about being a long-time smoker who quit a cigarette addiction using vape products. The freshman congresswoman repeatedly brought up a conspiracy and directly questioned Porter’s honesty during the hearing which was investigating any potential connections between lung disease and vape and e-cigarette products.

“Ms. Porter, I was reading because I want to know more about you and your beliefs, and I respect that we all have different beliefs, but you call yourself a converted conservative and reformed Marxist?” Tlaib began.

“Are you a conspiracy theorist?” she then asked.

“I think my politics are entirely irrelevant to this hearing,” Porter replied.

“Oh, OK,” Tlaib responded before her next bizarre question.

“Why were you winking at one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle? You winked,” she asked.

“Because I know Glenn Grothman,” Porter answered, referring to the Wisconsin Republican congressman. “He introduced me. He’s a friend of mine.”

Tlaib continued to make a mockery of the proceedings and wasted her question time as she pushed the issue.

“Oh, I understand. I didn’t know what the winking was. I thought maybe there was like a conspiracy thing going on. I didn’t know,” she said.

“You think there’s a conspiracy in this hearing, ma’am?” Porter questioned, seeming puzzled by the congresswoman who immediately got testy.

“No, no. I actually think people are speaking truth here, and you can provide information – ” she began.

“May I address the truth?” Porter asked, setting Tlaib off.

“Well the truth for you is very different from the majority of people in this room who do believe that children are being – ” the Michigan lawmaker responded as Porter continued to try to speak.

“The truth for me is that I’ve quit smoking with e-cigarettes so did 8 million other people,” the witness interjected.

“You’re still smoking, ma’am. You’re still smoking,” Tlaib declared, smugly shutting off her microphone.

“I’m not smoking,” Porter shot back, as the hearing’s chairman struck the gavel to call for order.

“And I am not lying under oath,” Porter added.

In her statement to the members of the committee, Porter had explained how e-cigarettes “changed” and “saved” her life after 23 years of being addicted to smoking. She recounted the many ways she tried to quit cigarettes, including over the counter remedies, prescriptions, and even hypnosis, all to no avail.

She called out the “misinformation” about e-cigarettes which she referred to as a “public health miracle.”

Later in the same hearing, Tlaib had another embarrassing moment as she claimed secondhand smoke is worse than smoking cigarettes directly.

Another weird moment from @RashidaTlaib: She says scientists know that “secondhand smoke is worse than directly smoking cigarettes” pic.twitter.com/IG6VP4D8A8

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 24, 2019

Twitter users were incredulous at the exchange, mocking the congresswoman who launched her own conspiracy theory in questioning a witness about hers.

Stay classy @RashidaTlaib …….you are an embarrassment to our political system

— Gees Right (@geesright1) September 24, 2019

Every time I think she can’t get more ridiculous, she gets more ridiculous.

— why cats (@whycatsohwhy) September 25, 2019

So now winking is a crime.

— Doug Nance (@SAADougNance1) September 24, 2019

A view inside the mind of Rep. Tlaib. pic.twitter.com/ITkUSI9JtY

— Enrico Fermi (@dr_fermi) September 25, 2019

A) She’s knows Rep Grothman, since they’re from the same state.
B) She’s a conservative talk show host
C) has always been open about vaping helping her quit smoking

Tlaib is, as usual, as embarrassing as her other squad mates..

— Haunchie (@TheHaunchie) September 24, 2019

This was just bizarre.

— Chance (@Knife_Tricks) September 24, 2019

• Author
• Recent Posts

Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
[email protected]

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

• Biden admin accused of pulling ‘nuclear level attack’ on women’s rights with ‘grotesque’ Title IX changes - April 19, 2024
• INSIDER: Liz Warren mercilessly mocked for bravely taking on the issue of ‘green texts’ while Rome burns - April 19, 2024
• CNN analyst throws cold water on Jim Acosta’s fantasy of Trump in a holding cell - April 19, 2024

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.