Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene engaged in a fiery exchange during a hearing of the House's Oversight and Judiciary Committee. Ocasio-Cortez accused Greene of attacking her Democratic colleague, Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, based on her physical appearance, while Greene retorted with insults aimed at Ocasio-Cortez's intelligence.
The House Oversight and Judiciary Committee convened Thursday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena related to President Biden's interview with a special counsel. However, the hearing quickly descended into chaos as lawmakers engaged in heated exchanges.
Less than an hour into the hearing, Greene targeted Crockett, prompting Ocasio-Cortez to intervene. "That is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?" Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed.
Greene responded sarcastically, "Are your feelings hurt?"
"Oh girl, baby girl!" Ocasio-Cortez retorted.
Ocasio-Cortez moved to have Greene's words "taken down," a procedure allowing a speaker to withdraw or amend their statements if deemed out of order. Committee Chairman James Comer suspended the hearing as lawmakers debated the motion.
"No way is that being allowed," Ocasio-Cortez insisted.
Greene eventually agreed to strike her words but refused to apologize. "She has to actually apologize. And that needs to be up to Ms. Crockett as well," Ocasio-Cortez said.
Greene insulted Ocasio-Cortez's intelligence, prompting the Democratic Congresswoman to move to strike those words as well.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., pressed Greene for an apology, to which she replied, "You will never get an apology out of me."
In a later tweet, Crockett reacted to the exchange, criticizing Greene's behavior and accusing her of being "mentally deficient" and unable to "read and follow rules."
The incident highlighted the deep divisions within the House and the personal animosity between Ocasio-Cortez and Greene, who have a history of clashing over political and personal matters.
Despite efforts by Comer to maintain order, the hearing remained contentious, with lawmakers bickering and repeatedly interrupting one another.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
