The White House said Thursday that Republican Rep. Darrell Issa shouldn’t have dissed Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland by shutting down a hearing while Mr. Cummings was speaking.
Asked if the White House felt Mr. Cummings had been “disrespected,” press secretary Jay Carney replied, “Congressman Cummings, in our view, is always the smartest guy in the room. If he wants to speak, he should be allowed to speak.”
Mr. Cummings tried to ask a procedural question Wednesday during a hearing with former IRS official Lois Lerner when Mr. Issa, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, ended the session.
Mr. Cummings shouted that he deserved the right to speak and told Mr. Issa, “you cannot run a committee like this.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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