Sen. Cory Booker found himself compared to actor Tommy Wiseau of “The Room” on Tuesday after raising his voice during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

An angry exchange with Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen became one of the top tending stories on Twitter this week when Mr. Booker recounted “tears of rage” over comments attributed to Mr. Trump.

The New Jersey Democrat scolded Ms. Nielsen for “amnesia” when she testified under oath that she never heard the president refer to “sh—hole” countries during policy negotiations.

“When [Illinois senator] Dick Durbin called me, I had tears of rage when I heard about this experience in that meeting. And for you not to feel that hurt and that pain — and to dismiss some of the questions of my colleagues saying, ‘I already answered that line of questions’ — when tens-of-millions of Americans are hurting right now […] that’s unacceptable to me,” Mr. Booker said.

“When Dick Durbin called me, I had tears of rage,” Booker says. “And for you not to feel that hurt and that pain and to dismiss the questions of my colleagues … with tens of millions Americans hurting right now because they’re worried about what happened in the White House.” pic.twitter.com/0MS9t8WWM0 — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 16, 2018

Critics attributed the impassioned lecture as a de facto audition for a 2020 presidential campaign.

“Dem 2020 field in this hearing are being really theatrical,” tweeted Noah Rothman of Commentary Magazine.

“This guy is the most embarrassing grandstander in the Senate, Ted Cruz included,” added Allah Pundit of the conservative website Hot Air. “He’s way too transparent. He needs acting lessons badly.”

The Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro unleashed multiple tweets likening Mr. Booker’s display to infamous overacting seen in “The Room” and an old Saturday Night Light skit featuring comedian Jon Lovitz.

Only one actor has touched my heart the way Cory Booker did today. pic.twitter.com/KWfm6Wwc7W — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 16, 2018

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