Rep. Matt Gaetz Matthew (Matt) GaetzSunday shows preview: Lawmakers prepare for SCOTUS confirmation hearings before election Trump faces tricky choice on Supreme Court pick Florida attorney general scrutinizing Bloomberg paying fines for felons to vote MORE (R-Fla.) clashed with law professor Pamela Karlan during Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, pressing her on her past donations to Democratic candidates and excoriating her for invoking 13-year-old Barron Trump earlier in her testimony.

"When you invoke the president's son's name here, when you try to make a little joke out of referencing Barron Trump, that does not lend credibility to your argument," Gaetz said. "It makes you look mean."

‘It makes you look mean’: Republican Rep. Gaetz criticizes Prof. Karlan for making ‘a little joke’ referencing Trump’s son, Barron, after she used the 13-year-old’s name to make a point about titles of nobility https://t.co/vYnyxHyLwJ pic.twitter.com/7OhQA9ttZH — Reuters (@Reuters) December 4, 2019

Karlan earlier in the hearing told lawmakers that the Constitution does not grant lawmakers the power to bestow nobility, quipping that Trump could name his son Barron but could not make him a baron.

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Gaetz's line of questioning reflected a concerted effort by President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE's allies to paint Karlan and other Democratic witnesses as biased. The congressman seized on donations the professor made to Democratic candidates and highlighted her past comments that he portrayed as condescending to conservatives.

Karlan confirmed that she donated $1,000 to Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOvernight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds On The Money: Half of states deplete funds for Trump's 0 unemployment expansion | EU appealing ruling in Apple tax case | House Democrats include more aid for airlines in coronavirus package Warren, Khanna request IG investigation into Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds MORE (D-Mass.), $1,200 to former President Obama and $2,000 to Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonThe Memo: Trump furor stokes fears of unrest Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida Hillicon Valley: Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top concerns amid pandemic | Facebook critics launch alternative oversight board | Google to temporarily bar election ads after polls close MORE, who ran against Trump in 2016.

The congressman then read a quote from Karlan in which she said, "Liberals tend to cluster more. Conservatives, especially very conservative people, tend to spread out more, perhaps because they don’t even want to be around themselves."

Karlan acknowledged making the comments but sought to explain that with proper context she was not speaking derisively about conservatives. As she attempted to elaborate, Gaetz raised his voice and cut her off.

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"You don't get to interrupt me on this time," he said.

The testy exchange marked a relatively dramatic moment in what had otherwise been a hearing heavy on legalese and the merits of impeachment.

Trump allies have hammered Karlan over her comments about the president's son. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham Stephanie GrishamIvana Trump on Melania as first lady: 'She's very quiet, and she really doesn't go to too many places' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump uses White House as campaign backdrop Coronavirus tests not required for all Melania Trump speech attendees: report MORE called the remarks "classless," and the Trump campaign put out a statement blasting the joke as "disgusting."