GOP Rep. Doug Collins to Fox News: Democrats Have ‘Trouble Reading,’ Need ‘Hooked on Phonics’

Reacting to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) document requests as part of the committee’s comprehensive investigation into President Trump’s administration and businesses, the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), snarked to Fox News host Dana Perino on Wednesday that Democrats have “trouble reading.”

After saying Sunday on ABC’s This Week that it was “very clear that the president obstructed justice” and abused power, Nadler requested documents from 81 different individuals, entities, and organizations associated with Trump. The president has summarily dismissed the sweeping request and has hinted that the White House will not comply.

Asked Wednesday afternoon by Perino to give his thoughts on Nadler’s request, Collins blasted his Democratic colleagues by claiming they are starting with a hypothesis of “we don’t like the president.”

“That’s all this is,” he asserted. “This is one of the most blatant power attempts, uh, grabs and abuses of a committee whose jurisdiction is so broad and so vast.”

After complaining that many of those who’ve been contacted to provide additional documentation have already testified to congressional committees, Collins said that maybe Democrats have “trouble reading.”

“I can get them Hooked on Phonics,” he added. “They can go read that other stuff if they want to.”

Collins, who drew headlines last month for peddling right-wing conspiracies during the judiciary committee’s Matt Whitaker hearing, later suggested that polls showing Republicans aren’t interested in getting at the truth in Trump-related congressional hearings are skewed.

“Part of the reason some of these polls are actually out there is because every media outlet in the world—and I’m sitting in media central here -- is where they're going out taking the assumption the Democrats were right to start with,” he groused. “The problem is, the Democrats are not right to start with. They’re trying to find their reasons.”