A Republican trying to defend President Donald Trump's legacy was shut down on live television Wednesday with one simple question that he would not answer.
The argument erupted on CNN Wednesday morning ahead of a contentious Senate hearing, when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will haul in his longtime bogeyman Dr. Anthony Fauci back to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as part of his ongoing quest to determine the origins of the coronavirus.
The Kentucky Republican posted online more than 1,100 pages of the physician's diaries written during the pandemic on government computers.
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright admitted he found the situation frustrating.
"What burns my biscuits the most is you have this political theater that will happen in the United States Senate today with Sen. Rand Paul, but there's no interest in the fact that you have the screw worm sending everyone on the run," said Seawright.
"The fact that you see recall after recall and foods that basic everyday Americans are afraid to even deal with, and all the challenges that came along that come along with this current administration, and there's no sense of accountability in that regard."
The Daily Signal's Rob Bluey tried to argue the hearing was more than political theater, saying it did address an issue that Americans cared deeply about.
"There will be fireworks today, I agree with you on that point," Bluey said. "But it's the role of Congress, in this case Sen. Rand Paul, to have oversight and hold this this government employee, former government employee who was paid $400,000 a year with our tax dollars and who lied to the American people repeatedly about the origin of Covid."
"Respectfully, how do you know that?" Seawright interjected.
"Because it's in the diary," Bluey replied.
Paul has long maintained that Fauci covered up evidence supporting the "lab leak" theory, and the senator's website highlighted a Feb. 1, 2020, diary entry covering a conference call with prominent scientists who Fauci noted had not all been in "total agreement" about the origins.
"This might not be the last time that the United States finds itself in a situation where we have a global pandemic," Bluey argued, "and holding that person accountable, getting answers, holding the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, accountable for what its role was, and then think about all of the losses that our country experienced, not only in terms of jobs, but the schooling. I mean, I have kids, it affect my family's life profoundly."
That's when Seawright posed the question Bluey would not answer.
"Can someone remind me who was in charge when we were going through the Covid 19 pandemic?" Seawright said. "Because I think sometimes that gets lost in the conversation. Who was the president?"
"Apparently, Anthony Fauci thought he was," Bluey retorted.
"Well, who was in charge?" Seawright asked. "Who was the president?
" Trump was in charge during Covid."
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