'Lied to my face': CNN comedian blasts House Republican days after duo's TV spot

Actor and comedian Michael Ian Black has a major bone to pick with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) – and he didn't hold back his feelings Wednesday.

“Congressman Mike Lawler lied to my face,” Black wrote in a Substack post. “And when a sitting congressman comes to my ‘house’ and lies to my face, I’m not going to forget it.”

The revelation came days after Lawler appeared on CNN comedy show “Have I Got News For You,” where an on-air dust-up developed after he was repeatedly pressed by the comedian on whether he would vote down a House budget bill that ostensibly includes plans to cut Medicaid – before saying he would be a no vote.

But that turned out to be an “incredibly important” lie, wrote Black.

“Last night, he voted for the Republican budget bill, which mandates $880B in cuts over the next decade, which must come from “within the Energy and Commerce committee’s jurisdiction,” Black wrote, citing a New York Times report. “I’ll cut to the chase so you don’t have to read the whole thing – it is impossible to cut $880B without cutting either Medicare and/or Medicaid. Congressman Lawler knows this but still voted for the bill.”

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Black added that while he “fully expected him to lie,” he seethed Wednesday over his dislike for “liars, particularly lying politicians.”

“The reason should be obvious: when you say one thing to get elected, which Mike strenuously does on his website, and then vote the opposite way once you have the job, you lose your credibility,” Black told readers. “If I can’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth, then you should not be serving the public in any capacity. Not as a congressman and not as governor.”

He concluded that while the MAGA lawmaker – who is reportedly eyeing a run for New York governor – had “some good jokes,” he “also lied about something incredibly important to a lot of people.”

“Have I ever lied? Yes I have,” Black said. “Have I ever lied about cutting hundreds of billions from a program that 'provides comprehensive coverage of health and long-term care to 83 million low-income people in the United States'? I have not. But Mike Lawler did.”

Black told readers that he would go out of his way to remind people that Lawler “lied to my face because there ought to be consequences for public figures who lie to their constituents.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.