On Tuesday, there was a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Biden administration's badly botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, which killed 13 U.S. servicemen and women and left scores more (including civilians and allies) either injured or left behind.
As RedState reported, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former CENTCOM Commander, and Gen. Mark Milley, retired Joint Chiefs Chair, both testified. But it was McKenzie in particular who perhaps shined the brightest spotlight on the failures of the Biden administration, noting that "If there's fault, it lies in a policy decision that placed the joint force in this situation and exposed the force over time to the possibility of these kinds of attacks."
READ: General McKenzie Testifies Biden State Department Policy Failures Led to Bombing at Abbey Gate
Something else that happened during the hearing that didn't get as much attention as the testimony from the witnesses was a bit of a verbal skirmish between Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).
McCaul, according to a video from the hearing, told Issa to "go f*** yourself" in a dispute over the time allotted for speaking, where Issa seemed to be a bit confused:
McCaul repeatedly tried to tell Issa that his time was expired and to allow Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, to speak.
"The Gentleman’s time is expired. Ms. Miller-Meeks is recognized," McCaul said.
"Oh, I didn’t realize. Thank you," Issa said.
McCaul could be heard mumbling something under his breath before Issa said again: "I thought I was done! I thought I was the closing act, Chairman."
"Eh, go f--- yourself," McCaul shot back, seemingly unaware he was on a hot mic.
Watch (language warning):
GOP Rep. Michael McCaul to GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, on a hot mic: “Ah, go fuck yourself.” pic.twitter.com/VYJ07tzRzV
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) March 19, 2024
Issa, for what it's worth, seemed to take it all in stride, tweeting this to McCaul on Tuesday evening:
Hey @RepMcCaul — I’ve been called worse … and by people I don’t like!
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) March 19, 2024
McCaul, for the record, apologized and blamed his temper on it being a "long day."
"It was a long day, and I lost my temper. That is uncharacteristic of me and I apologize to Mr. Issa, who I consider a friend,” McCaul told media outlets in a statement.
Biden's deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan is considered by some political observers to be the turning point in his approval ratings. On the one-year anniversary, some suggested it was "impossible to deny" the impact his handling of the Afghanistan exit had on his overall numbers:
Why it matters: The economy, not foreign policy, is the biggest driver of presidential approval ratings in the U.S., pollsters and political scientists say. But a year later, it's impossible to deny that aspects of the Afghanistan exit affected Americans' views of Biden's ability to deliver on his promises.
During Tuesday's hearing, McCaul read out loud the names of the service members killed in Afghanistan during the withdrawal, something that President Joe Biden, to date, has never publicly done.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member