The exchange quickly went downhill when Sen. Marco Rubio warned Alex Jones, who was standing beside him in the hallway, to “not touch me again.” | Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO 'Frat boy': Alex Jones taunts Rubio in tense Senate standoff

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and InfoWars host Alex Jones clashed outside a Senate Intelligence committee hearing today, with the lawmaker saying he’d “take care of” Jones as the far-right provocateur mockingly called him a “little gangster thug" and "frat boy."

Rubio, addressing reporters outside the hearing room, was badgered with questions by Jones, who made a surprise appearance at the Senate hearing devoted to foreign interference on social media.


The exchange quickly went downhill when the senator warned the conspiracy-peddling host, who was standing beside him in the hallway, to “not touch me again.”

“I’m just patting you nicely,” Jones responded, before accusing Rubio of trying to get him arrested.

Rubio rebuffed the charge, adding: “I’ll take care of you myself.”

"Rubio just threatened to physically take care of me," Jones replied, an insinuation that Rubio disputed.

As Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey began their testimony before the committee, Jones livestreamed his entrance into the building and later took a seat in the first row of the hearing room, sitting mere feet away from the tech executives.

Internet companies including Facebook and Twitter removed or suspended Jones’ content last month for violating their terms of service. The action came as many conservatives, including President Donald Trump, accuse Silicon Valley of being biased against their views.