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Do Not Cut Off Senator Kamala Harris, Or Twitter Will Come For You
Senator Kamala Harris was shut down mid-sentence (and mid-interrogation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein) by the Senate intelligence committee's chairman, who clearly did not learn from the "Nevertheless, she persisted" debacle that when you cut off firebrand Democratic senators, Twitter comes for you, and it comes for you hard.
CNN has a full transcript of the tense moment, in which Senate intelligence committee chairman Richard Burr interjected as Harris questioned Rosenstein over whether he would sign a letter to give Special Counsel Robert Mueller full independence from the Justice Department. Committee chairman Richard Burr cut Harris off as she pressed Rosenstein for "a yes-or-no answer," asking her to "provide the witnesses the courtesy...for questions to get answered."
"As a career prosecutor and former Attorney General, Kamala Harris has run countless investigations, and she will follow the facts wherever they lead to get to the truth on behalf of the American people," a spokesperson for Senator Harris's office told LAist, adding, "That can only happen if witnesses answer questions."
Democratic supporters like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren rushed to Harris' defense, with some suggesting that Harris's role as the sole woman of color on the Senate intelligence committee (and one of just four women of color in the Senate) had played a role in her silencing.
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Silencing @SenKamalaHarris for not being “courteous” enough is just unbelievable. Keep fighting, Kamala! #NeverthelessShePersisted https://t.co/58y15qWVzU
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 7, 2017
Just now in the Intel hearing: A male GOP senator (Burr) tells a female Dem senator (Harris) to pipe down. Where have we seen this before?
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) June 7, 2017
Kamala Harris was told to be more "courteous" in her questioning at the Senate Intel Hearing. Next thing she'll be told to "smile more" 😡
— Jessie May (@PhilanTopic) June 7, 2017
Sen. Kamala Harris, representing the world's 6th largest economy, was hushed by a male colleague in a televised hearing. Are you kidding me?
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) June 7, 2017
Harris herself took to Twitter to defend her line of questioning before the committee, stating, "The American people deserve to know whether the special counsel is fully independent. We need the truth. I won't stop until we get it."
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