FIGHTING WORDS

Classified Senate Briefing on Ukraine Devolves Into Shouting Match: Report

Some Republicans even stormed out of the meeting early.

A classified Senate briefing on Ukraine quickly devolved into a messy fight which saw members shouting over one another on the issue of border security and even leaving the room, according to multiple reports. The fiery meeting was supposed to help the Senate move forward with its national security package, but instead “it was immediately hijacked by Leader [Mitch] McConnell (R-KY),” according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-NY). “The first question, instead of asking our panelists, he called on [Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma] to give a five-minute talk about the negotiations on the border,” Schumer said. “Then when I brought up the fact that they could do an amendment and have the ability to get something done on the border, they got stuck … they didn’t like it.” A spokesperson for Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton confirmed that Cotton was shouting at the meeting—at Schumer. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) added there was “a lot of tension in the room. It started out bad. But got better.”