SouthernWorldwide.com – Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing as “a circus” following a peculiar line of questioning from Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., regarding a pair of shoes he received as a gift from President Donald Trump.
The unusual exchange occurred after Jacobs criticized Rubio’s testimony on the recent conflict with Iran, asserting that he was reluctant to acknowledge factual information.
“Mr. Secretary, it appears you have difficulty admitting facts… You couldn’t admit that the shoes the president bought you were too big,” she stated.
Rubio seemed perplexed by her comment.
“I don’t know about the shoes. I mean, [Trump] gave me some Florsheim shoes that are actually pretty good, they fit fine, I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he replied.
Jacobs then revisited the subject shortly after, complimenting Rubio’s footwear.
“Your shoes look very nice today, Mr. Secretary,” she remarked.
“How can you see them? They’re way down here. We’re talking about shoes. Are you guys kidding me? I mean, is this the Foreign Affairs Committee or is this, like, a circus? What is this?” Rubio retorted.
This exchange took place during a contentious hearing where Democratic lawmakers repeatedly challenged Rubio concerning the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions, including the recent escalation with Iran.
Earlier in the proceedings, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., questioned Rubio about the potential influence of Trump’s personal financial interests on decisions related to military action against Iran.
Rubio firmly rejected this insinuation.
“Not once. Just to be clear, not a single time, not even for a millisecond, has the president ever discussed his personal economics and relations to war or any public policy that he’s made, for that matter,” Rubio asserted. “And I’ve been in every one of his foreign policy meetings for the most part.”
As Democratic lawmakers continued to press Rubio throughout the hearing on various matters, from Trump’s finances to allegations of corruption within the administration, the Secretary grew increasingly exasperated by the tone of the proceedings.
Later in the hearing, Rubio again expressed his frustration that lawmakers were not allocating sufficient time for him to respond to questions.
“What kind of thing is this? What is this? You know, you get asked questions for five minutes and you don’t get time to answer. It’s not a hearing,” Rubio stated.
As the discussion continued, he added, “Is this a dunk tank? What is this?”
