A junior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee was told to be quiet Wednesday after repeatedly interrupting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein during a hearing.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., was trying to pry information from Rosenstein during a question-and-answer session but kept talking over him. Her actions prompted committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., to suspend her in order to allow Rosenstein the time to provide an answer to Harris' question.
Harris was seeking assurance from Rosenstein that special counsel and former FBI director Robert Mueller would have independence from the Department of Justice in the bureau's Russia probe.
After Rosenstein began to speak, Harris cut him off and said, "Sir, if I may, the greater assurance is not that you and I believe in director Mueller's integrity . . . It is that you would put in writing an indication based on your authority as the acting attorney general that he has full independence in regards to the investigations that are before him. Are you willing or are you not willing to give him the authority to be fully independent of your ability, statutorily and legally, to fire him?"
Rosenstein started to speak, "he has the . . ."
Harris then cut him off and said, "Yes or no, sir."
Rosenstein continued before Harris interrupted him again seconds later. Burr interjected and said Rosenstein has the right to answer the question, which he proceeded to do.
ABC News posted a clip of the tense exchange on Twitter.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., later praised Harris:
Rosenstein is the top official at the DOJ handling the Russia investigation because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from it over the role he played in President Donald Trump's campaign.
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