Rashida Tlaib Accuses Witness of Being Involved in 'Conspiracy' Because She Winked in a Hearing
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan accused a conservative witness appearing before Congress on Tuesday of engaging in a “conspiracy” because she winked at one of the members of the committee.
Vicki Porter, 51, from Wisconsin testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that vaping products helped her kick a 23-year cigarette-smoking habit, The Daily Wire reported.
“Miss Porter, I was reading because I want to know more about you and your beliefs and I respect that — we all have different beliefs,” Tlaib said.
“But you call yourself a ‘converted conservative’ and ‘reformed Marxist’? Are you a conspiracy theorist?” the congresswoman asked.
.@RashidaTlaib attacks conservative vaping advocate Vicki Porter: “Are you a conspiracy theorist?” pic.twitter.com/Czf5cALRks
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 24, 2019
“I think my politics are entirely irrelevant to this hearing,” Porter replied.
Tlaib persisted with her unusual line of inquiry.
“Oh okay, why were you winking at one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle? You winked,” Tlaib charged.
Porter answered, “Because I know Glenn Grothman.”
Grothman, a Republican, represents Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the central part of the Badger State, north of Milwaukee and Madison.
“So the winking…” Tlaib interjected.
“He introduced me. He’s a friend of mine,” Porter responded.
Tlaib would not let the topic go.
“Okay, understand,” she said in a snarky tone. “I didn’t know what the winking was, because I thought maybe there was something, like a conspiracy thing going on there. I didn’t know.”
“You think there’s a conspiracy in this hearing, ma’am?” the Porter asked.
“No, no,” Tlaib replied. “People are speaking truth here, and you can provide information.”
“May I address the truth?” Porter went on.
Tlaib then suggested that the witness’ testimony was erroneous.
“Well the truth to you is very different for the majority of people in this room who do believe children are being targeted,” the self-described Democratic Socialist told Porter.
“The truth for me is that I quit smoking with e-cigarettes and so did eight million other people,” Porter said.
“You’re still smoking, ma’am. You’re still smoking,” Tlaib told her.
“I’m not smoking,” Porter fired back.
It is unclear why Tlaib questioned whether Porter was a conspiracy theorist.
Perhaps it was because the witness was advocating for e-cigarettes or because she described herself as a “converted conservative” and a “reformed Marxist.”
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