A Texas Republican went after the wrong congresswoman Tuesday — and got schooled on the spot.
The mix-up unfolded at a House Judiciary Committee hearing already careening off the rails. GOP witness Alveda King — niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and a Fox News contributor — had just derailed Democratic questioning by shouting “Stop killing the babies and cutting the penises off!”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), reacting to King’s outburst, said she hadn’t been aware that penises were being cut off babies.
Then Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) seized the moment — and blew it.
Rising to submit a unanimous consent request — a procedural move that allows members to enter material into the congressional record — Gooden announced he wanted to submit an article on Trump administration statements about transgender surgery for minors. He directed it squarely at Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
“I’ll send you a copy, Ms. Crockett,” Gooden said, “so you can learn more about this.”
One problem: Crockett hadn’t said anything about baby genitalia. That was Balint.
Crockett didn’t let it slide.
“Mr. Chairman,” she said evenly, “just for purposes of the record, know that that side doesn’t have too many women, so we may all look alike, but that was actually my colleague.”
Balint, unfazed, leaned right in.
“I take full credit,” she said.
Gooden backed down fast. “I apologize,” he told Crockett. “I just assumed it was you. Please forgive me.”
The exchange was a sideshow inside a sideshow. The hearing — titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate, Part II” — was called to examine a federal indictment against the SPLC alleging it secretly paid more than $3 million to informants embedded in extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan.
Crockett had spoken before Gooden, submitting two articles into the record — one from ProPublica on hate group members identified at the Capitol riot, and one from Salon on the SPLC’s work fighting hate groups.
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