Ted Cruz is doing everything he can to get his moment on Fox, whether it is his turn to speak or not.
After Josh Hawley did his disgusting, foul, GOP pretzel-twisting of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's unassailable judicial and legal record by focusing on two or three cases out of 500-plus in which she was involved, Cancún Cruz tried to grab the spotlight by stepping all over Sen. Mazie Hirono's time to question Judge Jackson.
CRUZ: Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman...
DURBIN: It's Senator Hirono's time.
CRUZ: Mr. Chairman, I am asking to be recognized to make a point to the Chairman.
HIRONO: I believe he recognized me. May I proceed?
CRUZ: Mr. Chairman
LEAHY: Mr. Chairman, I waited my turn on here, and I have been on this committee for 47 years. I think we ought to follow regular order.
Watch it, Teddy. Leahy may sound like he's one coughing fit away from the grave, but he's still got a few miles in him.
CRUZ: Mr. Chairman, the witness just said we cannot understand those cases without the pre-sentence report --
DURBIN: I'm sorry, I don't want to go through this again.
CRUZ: I have a letter that is signed by 10 senators on this committee.
DURBIN: There are rules that should be followed.
CRUZ: Are you not even going to allow a letter from 10 senators on this committee?
DURBIN: If you want to send any letter, you can do it at the end.
CRUZ: This letter that is signed by 10 senators on the committee addressed to you makes the point that the white house gave you probation information for democrats that was not provided to the minority on this committee and just now, Judge Jackson told Senator Hawley you cannot understand these cases without reading the probation reports. 10 senators on this committee are asking the chairman
At this point, brilliant, razor-sharp Mazie Hirono begins to claim her rightful time.
HIRONO: Mr. Chairman...
CRUZ: to provide those reports so we can do it Judge Jackson just said.
That's when Sen. Leahy from Vermont really let him have it.
LEAHY: Mr. Chairman, I know the JUNIOR senator from Texas likes to get on television, but most of us have been here for a long time trying to follow the rules. He can very easily hand you a letter to go into the record. He saying he is doing this to help Senator Hawley. Senator Hawley could have put it in and he didn't. Let's get back to regular order.
At that point, Cruz sputtered around, asking unanimous consent to add it to the record, which Durbin thoroughly ignored, recognizing Sen. Hirono to speak.
Astonished, but clearly deflated, Cruz asked, "Are you denying consent?"
At which point everyone ignored him, and Sen. Hirono began her 20 minutes of questioning time with soon-to-be-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Aloha, Judge Jackson..."
