Exchange between Rep. Matt Gaetz and Reverend Al Sharpton

Thank You mr. chairman and Reverend Sharpton your current MSNBC co-worker Joe Scarborough is my former congressman and when Joe Scarborough served in the Congress he had quite a bit to say about your contribution to the national discussion it was in the hundred and sixth Congress that Joe Scarborough filed a house concurrent resolution 270 entitled condemning the racist and anti-semitic views of the Reverend Al Sharpton mr. Scarborough's resolution began by saying whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as blood-sucking Jews and joob asteroids so my question to you is does mr. Scarborough's assertion that you said these things is that true or did you not say those things they are patently untrue I never said that okay can I finish my answer I thought you raised the question so the next question mr. Maness Persians weren't cast I asked X was it true yet I said you asked me was that true and the answer is no that was not true and as you know mr. Scarboro and I work very closely together he comes in national action there were conventions I think he's a great guy and we do each other shows often mr. Scarboro also say excuse me the timekeeper will mr. chairman parliamentary inquiry is it appropriate for a member of the body to personally attack a witness before the body what shall I say should can a Kenny congressman's words be taken down in the event that he cast aspersions on a witness yeah we ask everyone to to adhere to rules of decorum Thank You mr. chairman joe scarborough then wrote whereas the Reverend Al Sharpton has referred to members of the Jewish faith as white interlopers and diamond merchants have you ever referred to members of the Jewish faith as white interlopers or diamond merchants no sir I I referred to one in Harlem an individual who I didn't even know was Jewish as an antelope and said I should never refer to his race I said that I was against those that were using apartheid diamonds and when I did funeral in Crown Heights in 91 because we were boycotting Oppenheimer and those that were selling diamonds from apartheid South Africa thank you the same sermon I'm trying to have my answers I'm not allowed to finish my ux2 question and I'm answering I got a few more and I have a few more answers I can't wait well apparently you do because you don't want me to answer no since you raised it let me finish it will be in the form of inquiry statement is it appropriate for a member to do a constant tirade of attacking the witness and then not allowing the witness to answer is not my personal opinion is that it's not proper but that is not a proper parliamentary inquiry statement to the time Thank You mr. chairman mr. Scarboro continued whereas the reverend al sharpton led a protest in the Crown Heights neighborhood and marched next to a protester with a sign that read the white man is the devil did you march next to a sign that's have no recollection of that I've watched in many things where there were signs that I did or did not agree with score broke and I and I would say that if I was aware of that I would have said but I would not want then you shouldn't ask me a question if you don't want an answer no if you said them you could say yes or no so I well I cannot answer mr. chairman on yes or no when he's asking me whether or not I'm the witness first of all this has nothing to do with policing he wants he wants to make the subject Joe Scarborough and I let me answer it last I know Joe Scarborough no higher members of the police department or have anything but I'm loving to engage this if he lets me finish so you're not gonna restore my time no Joe Scarborough continues the Reverend Al Sharpton's fierce demagoguery incited violence riots and murder in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn you agree or disagree with that statement as a matter of fact the New York State did a extensive study on the crown I thrice said I was not even there until after there was death of Yankel Rosenbaum I was not even called by the family until the day after we had nothing to do when I came to Crown Heights you ever lived the first non violent mob there are you really are fine mr. mr. Sharpton have you ever referred to african-americans who disagree with you as cocktail sip Negros I have have you ever have you ever referred to african-americans with you have a parliamentary inquiry if a congressperson is persistently questioning a witness about a non-germane matter is it proper I think the gentleman makes a fair point but the rules provide members with very wide latitude harmony inquiry gentleman will state his parliamentary his does it violate any rules of decorum for a member to read specifically verbatim from a document filed in the congressional records as a resolution the gentleman from Florida may proceed Thank You mr. chairman have you ever referred to African Americans who disagree with you as yellow and then the n-word I don't know that I've I've referred to people as as names I don't know if it's because I they disagree with me but I have said things about blacks and whites I'm glad you made it clear that I don't only attack whites thank you for that have you ever said that the have you ever referred to African Americans who disagree with you as Negro militants I didn't know that was a derogatory statement I don't know I don't recall have you ever said if the Jews want to get it on tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house no there was a man named motor-car levy who had been charged with some terrorist acts who threatened to march on me and several activists in New Jersey and he said he was going to come deal with my hairstyle and I'm referring his hairstyle I said for him depending come on I was not talking about all Jews you know I said about Mordechai levy have you said I'm in Hell already I'm in Israel yeah because I would been threatened that if I came over to deal with you know well first of all even I believe that you can deal with the decorum of the Congress but you cannot disrespect a witness you cannot answer a question ask a question until the witness he can't answer then let me answer sir let me ask for time enjoy I think that you have now you're yelling you're yelling you the other bow down I think that trying to answer your last question spired the witness may answer the question what about offing the pigs answer that one the witness may answer the question the time of the gentleman has expired a question that he raised what I was saying was clearly that I have disagreed with blacks and whites I've used language graphically some time to do so some of which I've grown beyond but none of which shows anything other than I am an equal opportunity attacker and I'm glad that Joe Scarborough and I both are equal opportunity attackers that now work together mr. Chairman I ask me to recognize for unanimous consent request remand I seek unanimous consent to introduce the Scarborough resolution as part of the committee's permanent record I object the gentleman from Georgia is recognized mr. chairman have a motion now that thank the gentleman for yielding and I was reviewing your prior answer Reverend Sharpton you are cited in a Washington Examiner piece July 30 2019 as having said if the Jews want to get it on tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house and in your response to my question you said you were just referring to one person so here is my very limited question for you Reverend were you misquoted in this story when you say the Jews and them referring to a plural group of people rather than one person you seem to have a grievance with what am I allowed to answer my name is Sharpton not allowing doubt Sookie I will answer the question if I'm allowed and you then know that I'm going to answer I was referring to an incident and a threat to come to my home by Mordecai levy and to the homes of I believe Reverend Daughtry and other how the examine I think you said or someone else wrote I'm not looking at it so I do not know whether they misquoted me or not I do know what I said and who I was referring to well did you say them I just said that I'm not looking at the statement I do not you're talking about you're talking about the situations that happened in 1991 if I said them duh or those I don't know I know that incident and I know what I was referring to and a man threatening to come to our home who had that kind of criminal record and I had two young children I think under five years old so so is it your belief if I said him or not was that help I heard excessive force of policing well I think it's pretty significant when someone wants to come and preach to us mr. chairman point of parliamentary I don't believe you talk about the people are coming for you mr. chairman when a witness is asked a question in a here before this Judiciary Committee do our rules will provide that the witnesses permitted to answer the question the member controls at the time the member controls the time if the member judges that the question is answered to his satisfaction he may go on to another question when a witness is attempting to answer the question is it the rules of this committee that the witness be allowed to answer the question and is it also in the decorum of this committee to not badger the witness if the witness is attempting to answer the question the member well their two answers the member controls the time if the member thinks that the questions have been answered to the satisfaction he may cut off the answer and go to a further question however it is not permitted to badger a witness we do afford members considerable attitudes but witnesses but badgering witness is inappropriate and our committee should not conduct itself in that manner that's expected that all parties to these proceedings comport themselves with decorum and professionalism and at all times in the manner that reflects creditably on the House of Representatives house rules require the chair to maintain order and decorum and I will do so Thank You mr. chairman I ain't having no March I believe in fighting well fight then ain't nobody holding you I'll off the man will off him plenty of crackers walking around here tonight did you say those words I do not recall us saying I will not much I think for the last 40 years out much I think that you're referring to and I'm not sure but I think you're referring to when I was dealing with some people that said that they don't want to March and the day going to off people and I told there are plenty of people walking around that they call the name they're not often anybody because I felt that they were just trying to disrupt our asking too much so in the context of I was I was quoting as I said I was quoting as I said the reference made about I don't wanna my astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homo has ever got around to it did you say that mr. sharp I talked about African history and I talked about how all we had dealt with astrology as well as mathematics and philosophy and religion in Africa but you you refer to people as Greek homos didn't you I do not recall how I refer to anyone and we have to cite you'd have to say you're bigoted statements in 1991 are excusable just because they were 19 I think that any statement that I've made that was wrong I have clearly said that we should not make bigoted statements including me I also think that to do it I think also to destroy all the questions anymore but I'm going to absolutely when you call Greek ahmo's when you talk about white crackers those are bigoted sigh I think I made it clear that I was quoting with somebody said yelling and getting upset is beneath your office you should calm down once again mr. chairman after a sustained attack on the character of a witness that has been called by people on this panel and that panel then attacks that witness in a sustained deliberate manner which is not germane to the subject at hand is it appropriate for a member to ask that the offending members words be taken down it is not under the rules appropriate Thank You mr. chairman and I would note these are highly relevant to the issues that we're facing Reverend Sharpton has come before the House Judiciary Committee as a black should be running as a purported expert on policing and yet his bigoted statements undermine the bipartisan work we should be doing to ensure that all citizens are able to come together and have Safe Communities on a border mr. chairman how is the Lewis name a point of order how is this line of inquiry germane and if it's not germane is it appropriate to the point mass speak to the point inside the Jimmy we should allow our mr. chairman we should we we have had a series we've had a witness who came before us two days ago mr. Lewandowski who totally contemptuously dealt with this panel and now we have a reverse of that we have one of our members doing the same thing to a witness who we have called I don't think it is within our best practices to allow our process to get down to the level that we have now sunk and I'm asking the Chairman to in the wise use of discretion to rule that the gentleman from Florida's line of inquiry with this specific witness who he's trying to attack his characters no question about that but I'm reading his own words back doing it in a sustained way and not is this a point of order what point of order mr. gates you don't have the floor single word of relevance to the issue at hand is it appropriate for this committee to allow the misuse of this platform to attack the character of a witness I mean this is taking our process down to a level that we should never allow it to descend to and I'm objecting to I'm objecting to us wallowing in the mud down here with with with these comments I mean it's not whether or not is true or false it's the fact that it's not germane to the point the chair will rule on the on the point the chair will rule on the point of order although the gentleman's comments may be obnoxious although they may object to that point of order that is another opportunity to mince comments may be characterized as whatever you want to characterize them as idle in order that your words be taken down with all woe is me a pic of women under the rules the gentleman has wide latitude both on the question of germaneness and on the language that he uses and unfortunately under the rules i cannot overrule him the gentleman will proceed Thank You mr. chairman you sold your life story mr. Sharpton to your own charity how much money did your charity pay you for the rights to tell your story parliamentary inquiry mr. chairman this is an outrage and the question is whether you can impugn the motives and or insult or badger the witness or cost or characterize his presence as a little lady was not recognized I thank mr. chairman I think the gentleman from Georgia made a point about witness that we had just two days ago which the impugning of the motive the character destruction was not in the course of our questioning what I say to our good friend from Florida that you are now not only not being germane but you are appointed Lee attacking the character and in addition bringing up information is not that well let me just finish bring it up information it's and it's an inquiry and bringing up information that is a character destroying the question is in a questioning of a witness can you use items that refer to the witness's character and demeaning the witness's character is that an appropriate line of questioning whether whether it is an appropriate line of questioning is not not relevant the but with respect to the parliamentary inquiry questioning a witness's character and modus which may go to ascertaining the credibility to give to the testimony we have always given very wide latitude and the answer has to be that I cannot object to that gentleman will proceed how much money did your charity pay you you personally for the right to tell your life story my charity owed a certain amount of money to me and asked could they use that money to have the right to sell any rights to my life be a documentary one-man play or other items that they have already began reaping dividends they would have paid had to pay me the same sum anyway because it was owed to me that's about the answers can I finish was it over half a million dollars can i finish whatever the son was half an assult whatever there's some you to tell your life story charity again fraud charity again owed me a certain amount of money they would have had this pain anyway what I agreed to allowed them I allowed them to use those funds expired the gentleman from New York is recognized

Channel: C-SPAN

Views: 6,779,017

Rating: 4.5689526 out of 5

Keywords: Matt Gaetz, Al Sharpton, Reverend Al Sharpton, Joe Scarborough, MSNBC, Race, House of Representatives, Judiciary, C-SPAN, CSPAN

Id: hHfCubOa_BU

Length: 22min 43sec (1363 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 19 2019