A Democratic senator asked President Trump's pick to lead the White House budget office if he would use "alternative facts" and pushed him to compare crowd sizes from former President Obama's and Trump's first inaugurations at his Tuesday confirmation hearing.

Sen. Jeff Merkley Jeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleyThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump, Biden renew push for Latino support Sunday shows - Trump team defends coronavirus response Oregon senator says Trump's blame on 'forest management' for wildfires is 'just a big and devastating lie' MORE (D-Ore.) asked Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), Trump's pick to run the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), whether the 2009 or 2017 presidential inauguration had more attendees, pointing to a large side-by-side picture of both ceremonies held up by an aide.

Merkley brings up inauguration crowd in Mulvaney's OMB hearing

Mulvaney: I don't know what this has to do with OMB pic.twitter.com/7Xn6NX80Hz — Katie Watson (@kathrynw5) January 24, 2017

Merkley's question was a reference to a tense weekend between the White House and the media after a Saturday statement from White House press secretary Sean Spicer insisting that Trump's inauguration had the more attendees than any other, despite multiple photographs and statistics that proved that claim false. Top White House aide Kellyanne Conway on Sunday defended Spicer for sharing "alternative facts," stoking outrage and ridicule.

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Mulvaney told the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday that Obama's 2009 inauguration appeared to have a bigger crowd than Trump's, adding that he didn't know what that had to do with the OMB.

Merkley said his line of questioning was an exercise in revealing deceit.

“The reason I’m raising this is because budgets often contain buried deceptions," Merkley said. “This is an example of where the president’s team, on something very simple and straightforward, wants to embrace a fantasy rather than a reality.”

Merkley then asked Mulvaney whether he too would offer "alternative facts" if confirmed as OMB director.

“Are you comfortable, as you proceed as a key budget adviser, presenting falsehoods as simply an alternative fact?" asked Merkley.

“I have every intent, and I believe I have shown up until this point in my time in Congress, that I am deadly serious about giving you hard numbers, and intend to follow through on that," responded Mulvaney.

Merkley's exhibition drew smirks from Democratic aides sitting behind him, but Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) wasn't impressed.

“I’m thoroughly disgusted," he said.