Secretary of State Marco Rubio called a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing a circus on Wednesday. He made the remark after Representative Sara Jacobs questioned him about a pair of shoes. President Donald Trump recently gave the shoes to Rubio as a personal gift.
The exchange came after Jacobs criticized Rubio's testimony regarding the recent conflict with Iran. The California Democrat argued that the top diplomat was unwilling to acknowledge basic facts.
"Mr. Secretary, it seems like you have an issue admitting facts… You couldn’t admit the shoes the president bought you were too big," Jacobs said.
Rubio appeared completely puzzled by the bizarre remark. He quickly dismissed the unusual line of questioning.
"I don’t know about the shoes. I mean, [Trump] gave me some Florsheim shoes that are actually pretty good, they fit fine, I don’t know what she’s talking about," Rubio said.
Jacobs inexplicably returned to the topic moments later. She decided to compliment Rubio's current footwear.
"Your shoes look very nice today, Mr. Secretary," she told him.
"How can you see them? They’re way down here. We’re talking about shoes. Are you guys kidding me? I mean, is this the Foreign Affairs Committee or is this, like, a circus? What is this?" Rubio responded.
The viral exchange came amid a combative hearing on Capitol Hill. Democratic lawmakers repeatedly challenged Rubio over the Trump administration's handling of foreign policy. The committee was originally convened to discuss the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Earlier in the hearing, Representative Gregory Meeks questioned Rubio. The New York Democrat asked whether Trump's personal financial interests could have influenced decisions related to military action against Iran.
Rubio forcefully rejected the baseless suggestion. He strongly defended the president's foreign policy decisions.
"Not once. Just to be clear, not a single time, not even for a millisecond, has the president ever discussed his personal economics and relations to war or any public policy that he's made, for that matter," Rubio said. "And I've been in every one of his foreign policy meetings for the most part."
Democratic lawmakers continued pressing Rubio throughout the hearing on issues ranging from Trump's finances to allegations of corruption. The secretary grew increasingly frustrated with the unhinged tenor of the proceedings.
Later in the hearing, Rubio complained that lawmakers were simply looking for viral moments. He noted that committee members were not allowing him enough time to actually answer their questions.
"What kind of thing is this? What is this? You know, you get asked questions for five minutes and you don't get time to answer. It's not a hearing," Rubio said.
As the contentious exchange continued, Rubio highlighted the overall absurdity of the format. He added, "Is this a dunk tank? What is this?"