'Your Country': Freshman Rep Mangles Quizzing of U.S. Officials
Curt Clawson addresses the crowd at his election party at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs after officially winning the special election for Congressional District 19 Republican congressman on Tuesday April 22, 2014 Picture By Scott McIntyre [ http://www.naplesnews.com/news/national/clawson-makes-first-national-gaffe_08577846 ]
First published July 25th 2014, 3:26 pm
Next time, maybe reading the witness list beforehand might be a wise idea.
A new member of Congress is the butt of Twitter jokes galore today after he appeared to repeatedly treat two senior State and Commerce Department officials with Indian surnames as members of the Indian government.
“I'm familiar with your country; I love your country," Florida Republican Curt Clawson told Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar, witnesses at a hearing at a subcommittee hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs [ http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-us-india-relations-under-modi-government (complete hearing video, with the hearing actually beginning at the 1:16:00 mark; ol' Curt gets after it from the 1:36:00 mark through the 1:40:00 mark, and ever, ever so blithely continuing from the 2:13:30 mark through the 2:19:45 mark)].
Clawson continued to refer to “your country” and “your government” in his statements to both U.S. officials, at one point asking for “ask cooperation and commitment and priority from your government” in investment rules.
"I think your question is to the Indian government," replied Biswal, who serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the United States Department of State. "We certainly share your sentiment, and we certainly will advocate that on behalf of the U.S."
Here’s some more, from The Cable: “During the hearing, [Clawson] repeatedly touted his deep knowledge of the Indian subcontinent and his favorite Bollywood movies. None of his fellow colleagues publicly called him out on the oversight -- perhaps going easy on him because he's the new guy.”
Clawson is brand new to Congress; he won a special election in June to replace Rep. Trey Radel, who resigned after pleading guilty to cocaine possession.
The Congressman, Rep. Curt Clawson, told the officials “I love your country” and offered to do “anything… to make the relationship with India better.” The officials, Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar, are both U.S. citizens who work for the Obama administration. Here’s the super awkward exchange:
Clawson had no political or government experience. He ran primarily on his 11-year tenure as CEO of an auto supply company [ http://www.naplesnews.com/business/exclusive-curt-clawson-business-record-congress-19 ], Hayes Lemmerz. His record became a source of controversy during the campaign, when opponents noted the company had multiple safety violations, including a massive explosion that killed one employee. He also closed seven plants, filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on the company’s pension obligations. (The federal government picked up the $93.7 million tab.)
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