Panicked Trump staffer paralyzes House hearing with silence: 'Can see the wheels turning'

A counterterrorism official in President Donald Trump's administration stalled a House hearing with repeated silences as he struggled to say whether right-wing extremism exists in the United States.

Joel Borkert, a deputy coordinator in the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, was the only witness Wednesday at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on terrorism 25 years after the 9/11 attacks, according to the committee's website.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) questioned Borkert about a White House counterterrorism strategy released in May, which names violent left-wing extremists as one of three major terror threats facing the country.

"Yes, sir. That's correct," Borkert said when Moskowitz asked him to confirm that the strategy lists left-wing extremism among its top three threats.

"There's left-wing. There's right-wing extremism, right, as well?" Moskowitz then asked.

"There, uh, likely is," Borkert replied.

"Likely?" Moskowitz repeated.

"There... there's... there has been..." Borkert began.

"There's 'likely' right-wing extremism?" Moskowitz pressed.

"There has been right-wing extremism, but there's been left-wing extremism," Borkert answered.

"I'm not saying you're wrong. But there's also right-wing extremism. Right?" Moskowitz said after telling Borkert he agreed with what the strategy says about left-wing extremism and Antifa.

"[5-second pause] There... are... various..." Borkert said.

"Why are you struggling to answer that?" Moskowitz asked, cutting him off.

"Well... what... I'll tell you, sir, that there's forms of..." Borkert tried again.

"There's left-wing extremism, and there's right-wing extremism. We can debate whether it's 60/40, 55/45. We can debate that," Moskowitz said.

"But there is no debate amongst the American people that there are left-wing extremists and there are right-wing extremists. But you struggle to answer on the right-wing extremists," he continued.

"Melissa Hortman was killed by a right-wing extremist, not mentioned in your report," Moskowitz added. "Charlie Kirk is mentioned. I'm glad it's mentioned. He was killed by a left-wing extremist."

Hortman, a Democrat and former speaker of the Minnesota House, was killed along with her husband in June 2025, The Associated Press reported.

The White House strategy cites the assassination of Kirk, a conservative activist, as an example of violence by left-wing extremists.

"I'll give you another shot at it. Is... Are there right-wing extremists, political violence by right-wing, in this country?" Moskowitz continued.

After an eight second pause, the Borkert attempted a response.

"There..." Borkert offered before halting agian.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head trying to figure out how you don't get in trouble to try to answer that question," Moskowitz told him.

"That's... that's not true. There are... there..." Borkert responded.

"Why isn't it just a yes?" Moskowitz asked.

Before taking his current post, Borkert served in the Trump administration as chief of staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he helped shift the agency's remaining work to the State Department, according to his official biography.

The State Department, where Borkert works, lost about 3,000 employees to firings and buyouts by July 2025, The Guardian reported.

A department policy adviser, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, told the outlet that a culture of "keeping your head down" had taken hold.

"Why isn't the answer, 'Representative Moskowitz, of course, there's right-wing and left-wing extremists. Of course, there's political violence on both sides'?" Moskowitz went on at the hearing. "We all know this. So does the audience. Why don't you?"

The Trump administration official fell silent for five more seconds before answering.

"There are all forms. There's..." Borkert said.

"Now 'all forms'! It's just... It's all people! Right? All lives matter. Is that what you're doing now?" Moskowitz shot back, likening the answer to the "All Lives Matter" response to Black Lives Matter.

"No. Sir, what I'm trying to tell you is that there, yes, you are correct. There is left-wing extremism and violence, and there is right-wing," Borkert finally said. "And this administration... left-wing extremism and terrorists has been a blind spot that we must rectify."

"Hold on. That's great. I don't disagree with anything you just said, but it seems the blind spot is that it's on the right wing for you," Moskowitz replied.

"It took you three minutes to get to a yes that there is right-wing extremism," Moskowitz said. "Okay. I'll move on. I think I've made the point. The problem with this report is that it's completely one-sided."