Former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan bashed Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) on Friday night after the pair clashed in a hearing earlier in the day focused on conditions at facilities near the border.
Homan appeared on Fox Business’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” to recap his congressional testimony on Friday before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which included a number of fireworks between himself and House Democrats.{mosads}
Fox commentator Gregg Jarrett, who interviewed Homan on the program, started the segment by telling the former ICE chief that “the treatment of you was nothing short of appalling.”
Connolly “threw out dirt and wouldn’t let me respond. This is about political theater. He ran out of there like a little girl. He’s a coward. He didn’t want to hear my response because this was all political theater,” Homan said.
“This is about resisting this president. This about open borders. They don’t want to hear the truth.”
Connolly erupted at Friday’s hearing focused on child separation and claims of mistreatment at facilities near the southern border, shouting down Homan when he attempted to interject.
“I never thought as a member of Congress, as an American, I would hear the testimony I heard today,” the Virginia Democrat began during his time with the microphone, pointing to poor facility conditions referenced by other witnesses.
“I’ve sat here and listened to horror stories. I thought it was fiction … children without soap, children in filth,” he said. “The equivocation, the enabling, the rationalization is inexcusable.”
Connolly was questioning acting Homeland Security Inspector General Jennifer Costello about the office’s findings at certain border facilities. When he remarked about “hardly humane care,” Homan jumped in, saying he was “extremely frustrated.”
“I’m not calling on you, sir!” Connolly yelled at Homan.
“Of course not,” Homan said. “This isn’t about transparency …”
“You’re not at the border!” Connolly shouted. “You’re not at the border right now. You’re in a hearing room. It’s my time!”