On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing titled "Protecting American Citizenship III: Denaturalization and its Constitutional Limits."
Under discussion was the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct (SCAM) Act, bipartisan legislation that would require online platforms to secure their sites from fraudulent and deceptive advertising, as well as demand stronger accountability when users on their platforms are victimized by scam artists and fraudsters.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) has proposed expanding the SCAM Act to include provisions that would revoke the citizenship of any naturalized citizen within the first 10 years of their being granted citizenship, if they are found complicit in activities that defraud the American people. The committee invited legal and immigration experts as witnesses, including former VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, to discuss and debate where the Constitution draws the line on the government's role in revoking citizenship and Congress' plenary powers.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) was also on this committee and chose to use her question time as an opportunity to go on a TDS-laced ramble.
Rinse. Repeat.
After Hirono accused the Trump administration of using the immigration process to target all immigrant communities, Schmitt leveled her. To understand the reason behind his searing response requires hearing exactly how insane Hirono sounded.
Hirono started with, "This regime said it would only go after the worst of the worst and criminals," then swiftly slid into accusations that the Trump administration only targets legal immigrants and naturalized citizens. Hirono rarely has an independent thought of her own — if she thinks at all — so she read off cue cards no doubt prepared by her staffers. Yet, she still managed to meander through circular logic about travel bans, attacks on international students, and how this alleged targeting of these foreign students made it difficult to "add to the diversity... and also the payment of tuitions," at the Ivy League universities. As if these institutions didn't have billion-dollar endowments to pull from. So, it certainly wasn't hurting them.
Read More: House Hearing Reveals What Auditors Found in Ohio's Medicaid System - It's Worse Than You Think
But here is where Hirono went completely off the rails.
Hirono said:
"It's just the latest step in this regime wreaking havoc around our already broken immigration system. Trying to break it beyond repair, from where I sit. He's now telling 24 million... 24 million naturalized Americans that their citizenship can be questioned. And I think when I say this hearing is bizarre, I mean, you're going to use conduct that occurs 10 years after the naturalization was conducted or the application for naturalization was submitted, and conduct 10 years later to somehow go back to the point of the application to determine whether there was fraud was committed, it's very bizarre. So, 24 million already naturalized citizens... I happen to be the only naturalized citizen sitting on this committee, and I am horrified by the implication that naturalized citizens basically get second-class citizenship. Not only, and should they commit crimes ... yes, as citizens, yes, they should be prosecuted like any other U.S. citizen. But what, uhhh... laws... or bills like the SCAM Act does is it subjects the naturalized citizen to even more... ummm... uh... harm, or, or more than what would be visited upon by a U.S. citizen. Which a naturalized citizen, by definition, is.
"So, let's be clear. This has never been about law and order for the Republicans, this is all about getting immigrants. It's about terrorizing immigrant communities. Whether it be ICE officers who are acting outside of what would be considered reasonable behavior, and using our immigration system as a pretext, basically, to keep certain people out of our country.
"As a naturalized citizen, I can't think of a more undemocratic, un-American thing to do to someone who chooses to become a U.S. citizen, to hold this over their heads and to treat us as second class citizens."
This would have been one response to Hirono's banal pablum:
Hirono thought she still had time, so she bumbled into an actual question, without even being aware of how many witnesses were sitting in front of her. Of course, Hirono took more than the five minutes allotted to her, because the witness she addressed the question to needed to complete his answer. Once he did, Hirono ended the time by saying, "It's just astounding. It should be unconstitutional."
It was now Schmitt's time, and he immediately dived in, addressing Hirono's incoherent diatribe.
Schmitt began:
"Speaking of astounding. Your comments are astounding, Senator. You mentioned a few words. 'Horrific.' I think to the American taxpayer that's been ripped off from people who came to this country to rip them off, that's Horrific.
"You talk about, 'Bizarre' —"
Hirono attempted to interrupt Schmitt, but he was having none of it.
"No, no, NO. It's my time now. It's my time. You went over time, it's my time.
"'Bizarre' is the idea that you would be here in this committee defending violent murderers from being deported. That you would be defending violent rapists from being deported. That you would defend people who took advantage of the good people of this country of their taxpayer dollars, that is bizarre. A terrorist who kills American citizens. You know what's bizarre? Is your defense of that.
"So, forgive me if your 24 million Americans — or naturalized citizens — should be afraid. That's ridiculous."
Hirono tried again to interrupt Schmitt, and he showed her the back of his hand!
"No, no, no — nothing but fearmongering here. You have nothing but fearmongering here.
"What I'm saying in this bill is, if you do those things to the American people, if you take advantage of taxpayers..."
Hirono tried a third time to interject, but Schmitt once again showed her his hand, saying, "You're not recognized!"
Wow. Schmitt took no prisoners as he concluded his blunt and unequivocal address.
"If you commit a terrorist act. If you commit wholesale welfare fraud, within 10 years, you're damn right we're deporting you.
"If you're convicted, it's not being accused of anything. If you are convicted in a court of law of these crimes, absolutely we should not only convict you, but we should deport you.
"Gone.
"And if you think that's some sort of like, negative assertion towards me, I'll take it. I love it. That's what we should be doing more of in this country.
"Because people are coming here and they're ripping off taxpayers. And I, for one, don't want to see it anymore. And if you want to have that debate in public we can do it, but that's what this hearing is about: to examine the SCAM Act. So, I'd just like to expose a few of your lies in your most recent dissertation on the dais here."
That's bound to leave a mark, especially on Mazie Hirono's already soft head. So far, we have six Republican senators who are not seeking reelection and two who have been primaried. It would be a wonderful thing if their replacements have an ounce of the knowledge, fire, and conviction of Sen. Eric Schmitt in doing the business of the American people and standing up for the concerns.
The full speech from Sen. Eric Schmitt is here.
WATCH:
🚨 WOW! Sen. Eric Schmitt looks Sen. Mazie Hirono (D) in the EYES and GOES BALLISTIC after she defended fraudsters and r*pists
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 4, 2026
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT WE'RE DEPORTING YOU! 🔥
"No, no, no, it's MY TIME now. BIZARRE is the idea you'd be here in this committee DEFENDING VIOLENT… pic.twitter.com/fsauyDlvhY
Join the conversation as a VIP Member