— from Alternet

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who was dubiously appointed to his position by President Donald Trump outside the normal Justice Department order of succession and without being confirmed by the Senate, testified before Congress Friday in a heated performance that showed the gaping chasm between the House of Representatives and the executive branch.

He was combative, dismissive, contemptuous and condescending throughout the hearing as Democrats tried to question him. He often used blatantly fillibuster tactics to avoid answering questions, such as repeating the questions, delving into meaningless asides, repeating rote answers, and avoiding direct inquiries. On many serious topics, Whitaker outright refused to answer.

As a neophyte to such a high-profile office, Whitaker showed that he was unable to gracefully cope with the fierce grilling he received.

Here are seven of the most disastrous moments of his testimony:

1. Whitaker had a callous response to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) pleaded for him to take responsibility for the immigrant families under Justice Department policy.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal presses Acting AG Matt Whitaker on family separations at the border.



"Do you know what kind of damage has been done to children and families across this country?...Do you understand the magnitude of that?" https://t.co/RAPYMnX9TD pic.twitter.com/pvgu7Yq3CV — ABC News (@ABC) February 8, 2019

2. He became combative when confronted with his dubious past.

"Mr. Whitaker, you don't run this committee! You don't run the Congress of the United States, and you don't run the Judiciary Committee."



Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker's contentious hearing continues on Capitol Hill: https://t.co/Ukgp5FQ7po pic.twitter.com/kXAZPdp2gu — ABC News (@ABC) February 8, 2019

3. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) confronted Whitaker with his refusal to follow the advice of ethics officials to recuse from overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation — and his only answer was that “it was my decision to make.”

REP. @JoeNeguse: You said you think you were appointed acting AG b/c you're a former US attorney. By that same logic shouldn't Rosenstein have gotten the job, since he ranked higher than you & also is former US attorney?



WHITAKER: It's been honor of a lifetime to have this job. pic.twitter.com/c0IYG0Wran — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019

4. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) challenged Whitaker to name any Republicans his ethics watchdog group filed complaints against — but he couldn’t list one.

Karen Bass asks about Matthew Whitaker's time, before working in the DOJ, as the executive director of an ethics watchdog group.



He repeatedly claims he oversaw probes of both parties. But he cannot name any Republican ones. Via CSPAN2 pic.twitter.com/dVh4SczalT — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2019

5. Rep. Shiela Jackson-Lee (D-NY) scolded Whitaker for “joking” about her question time.

Whitaker makes another remark about members' time, this time in regards to Rep. Shiela Jackson-Lee.



Jackson-Lee: "Mr Attorney General, we're not joking here. And your humor is not acceptable. Now, you're here because we have a constitutional duty to ask questions." Via CSPAN2 pic.twitter.com/IY5UZh8uvU — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2019

6. Whitaker and Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) fanned the flames of baseless conspiracy theories about Roger Stone’s arrest.

NADLER: "In your capacity as acting attorney general have you ever been asked to approve any request for action to be taken by the special counsel?"



WHITAKER: "Mr chairman, I see that your time is up."



[uproarious laughter] pic.twitter.com/sHlPpXP9Os — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019

7. In a completely disrespectful comment, Whitaker told Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) that his time was up — causing gasps from observers — even as he had time to answer the question.

Whitaker gets flustered in response to the very first question from @RepJerryNadler, refuses to answer straightforward queries about his involvement in the special counsel's investigation. Cringeworthy stuff. pic.twitter.com/GdHzc7a67u — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019







_______





About author Cody Fenwick is a reporter and editor. Follow him on Twitter Cody Fenwick is a reporter and editor. Follow him on Twitter @codytfenwick