Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., was heard firing off expletives at a staffer after he nearly missed his chance to ask Postmaster General Louis DeJoy questions during Friday’s hearing on election mail.
The New York Post reports that Carper could be hearing yelling “F---, F---, F---!” as he turned in his chair to get his aide’s attention.
He thought his computer’s livestream was still muted during the virtual committee hearing and was struggling with the system when the hot-mic incident occurred.
Before Carter’s outburst, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said: “Is Senator Carper there? We’ll move on to Sen. Lankford.”
As Carper swore, thinking he was still muted, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., let Johnson know that Carper was ready to speak.
“I think Sen. Carper is there, I think he’s trying to be able to cue it all up right now,” Lankford said.
Johnson gave a chuckle before letting Carper begin his line of questioning. Carper didn’t make any mention of his outburst. According to the New York Post, it is unclear if he knew everyone could hear him.
Carper spokeswoman told The Post that the lawmaker was struggling with technology like many others, who are working remotely.
“Like most Americans in 2020, Senator Carper got frustrated with technical difficulties this morning, but that pales in comparison to his frustration with a Postmaster General who’s actively undermining the U.S. Postal Service during a national crisis,” she said.
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