A MAGA senator was sharply rebuked on Tuesday over his theatrical display during Todd Blanche's confirmation vote.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) shared a photo from his desk showing a notepad that read "so much whining" while Democrats detailed all of Blanche's missteps. During an exchange with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Schmitt held up a notepad reading "I don't care," as Booker remarked on Blanche's handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, a writer for The New Republic, described Schmitt's theatrics as an "interesting choice" considering the subject matter being discussed.
"Schmitt’s language is an interesting choice, considering that the 'whining' was an explicit exploration of why Donald Trump’s personal attorney should not have the keys to the Justice Department," Houghtaling wrote.
Houghtaling noted that Democrats brought up details like Blanche's repeated failures to comply with federal laws mandating the release of the Epstein files, as well as his decision to sign an agreement giving Trump and his family future immunity from IRS tax cases.
"Other damning details cited by Democrats involved Blanche’s personal role in crafting the collusive settlement between the DOJ, Trump’s personal attorneys, and the IRS that laid the groundwork for the taxpayer-funded honeypot," she noted. "Liberal lawmakers also chided Blanche’s utilization of the Justice Department within his current limited capacity to target Trump’s perceived political enemies with bogus criminal cases."
"Schmitt’s dismissive tone could only suggest that he either didn’t listen to the complaints or he simply doesn’t care," she continued.
