Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was visibly caught off guard Wednesday when, after a tough round of questions, Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, patted his shoulder and shook his hand before leaving.
During a Senate Appropriations hearing on Mayorkas’ support for gun control, specifically an “assault weapons” ban, the secretary was subjected to a serious grilling on what exactly defines an “assault weapon.” Mayorkas failed to provide a definition of his own, instead opting to “defer to the experts.”
“Senator, I must defer to the experts with respect to the definition. But I will tell you, for example, military–style weapons are a tremendous concern. We are seeing too much devastation,” the homeland security head said. It is worth noting that this exchange came days after the horrific Nashville school shooting which left 6 innocent people dead, including 3 children, and resulted in the death of the shooter Audrey Hale.
Watch:
DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ life just flashed before his eyes as Senator John Kennedy pats him on the shoulder and shakes his hand. LOL .. was that his way of saying “ you’re done” pic.twitter.com/c8oKUzxzJj
— ShotGunBonnie (@ShotGun_Bonnie) March 29, 2023
Needless to say, Kennedy was less than thrilled with that response.
“You made a very bold statement very firmly saying we should ban all assault weapons. And all I’m asking is what in your mind is an assault weapon? You say it’s military style. Does that mean it looks like a military weapon?” Kennedy pressed.
“Senator, I think I have addressed your question to the best of my abilities,” Mayorkas replied.
But the senator would not be deterred.
“But you haven’t. I’m trying to understand. You’re secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and, as is your right as an American, you believe we should ban assault weapons. But it bothers me you can’t tell me what you would ban,” he explained.
Following that exchange, Mayorkas was also questioned on temporary worker visas by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire. While he was answering her, Kennedy passed behind him, patted him on the shoulder, and shook his hand in a moment that quickly went viral.
He just looked like his gig was up and was gonna get dragged outta there
— Kevin (@KevinCriteria) March 29, 2023
For Kennedy, it is not personal. It’s business. Democrats have trouble separating the two.
— Heath Slaton (@heathslaton) March 30, 2023
He was afraid someone just parachuted in from another planet!
— Sejoevia (Joe Wickersham) (@sejoevia) March 30, 2023
John Kennedy is from Louisiana. That touch on the shoulder and hand shake was the male version of Bless your Heart.
— Ashley Clark (@aclark301) March 30, 2023
Classy & extremely professional on the part of Kennedy…awesome. Tough words…tough questions & sometimes very uncomfortable, if not brutal discussions & disagreements need to take place for progress to be made. That is business and is exactly what Trump was so damn good at.
— Robert Wagner (@BigWagWag) March 30, 2023
Opinion: That’s something that North Louisiana people do. Very funny.
— #TermLimits (@Usa321alligator) March 29, 2023
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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