'Stop being snarky!' Republican Marsha Blackburn snaps at ex-FBI special agent
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) snapped at former FBI special agent Christopher O'Leary after he testified that Director Kash Patel had damaged the bureau with political purges.
During a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, senators spoke to three witnesses about the DOJ's Arctic Frost investigation into President Donald Trump's alleged election crimes and the mishandling of classified documents.
"Now, my colleague across the aisle seems to have a problem with Kash Patel, and you made a statement that you think he's made our country less safe," Blackburn told O'Leary. "Do you own that statement?"
"Yes, I do, ma'am," the former special agent replied.
"You do own that statement," Blackburn said. "Have you heard of Memphis, Tennessee? Are you fully aware of what the FBI and the federal government has accomplished in Memphis, Tennessee?"
"Yes," O'Leary acknowledged. "I think using FBI agents as part of a joint task force to reduce violent crime is very important, and I'm aware of their effectiveness there. Yes, ma'am."
"Are you aware that there have been over 9,000 arrests of violent criminals?" Blackburn asked.
"If you say so, yes, ma'am," O'Leary said. "It certainly makes that jurisdiction, Memphis, a safer community."
"Would you say that finding 150 missing children helps make this country more safe?" Blackburn pressed.
"Yes, it does, and the FBI has been doing that for decades, ma'am," O'Leary advised.
"And in Memphis, it's 153," Blackburn remarked. "You can stop being snarky, too! That would help!"