But on January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration, [Oregon Democratic Sen.] Ron Wyden said he’d seek to delay Pompeo’s confirmation when the Senate convened late Friday afternoon. That evening Cotton, who is close to Pompeo from their time together in the House of Representatives, began calling his colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee, including Wyden, seeking to avoid the delay. Some of the calls were cordial. Others were testy.
The Senate reconvened after the inaugural ceremonies on Friday, with Pompeo’s nomination set to come up at 4:50pm. Cotton angrily confronted Schumer about his broken promise. According to witnesses, Schumer told Cotton to lower his voice and asked him move off of the Senate floor to an adjacent hallway for a private discussion. “We need to take this out into the hallway,” Schumer said. Cotton walked with Schumer but loudly rejected his first request. “Don’t tell me to lower my voice!” he shouted, with an additional salty admonition tacked on for emphasis. Burr and Cornyn were present, as was Senator Mark Warner, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and several aides.
That’s when Schumer told Cotton, who is an Army veteran, that if he would have been around eight years prior, then he would know that Republicans didn’t confirm Obama’s CIA director nominee by or on Inauguration Day 2009.
Cotton did not take too kindly to the slight, according to the Weekly Standard.
“Eight years ago, I was getting my ass shot at in Afghanistan,” Cotton reportedly barked in reply. “So don’t talk to me about where I was 8 years ago.” – READ MORE
‘I was getting my a** shot at in Afghanistan’: Cotton explodes at top Dem over Pompeo delay
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