Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, used an unfortunate turn of phrase to refer to his black Congressional colleague Rep. Elijah Cummings.
During a hearing on the IRS’ investigation of the Tea Party, Issa compared the 62-year-old Cummings to a “little boy.”
“I’m always shocked when the ranking member seems to want to say, like a little boy whose hand has been caught in a cookie jar, ‘What hand? What cookie?’ I’ve never said it leads to the White House,” Issa said.
Cummings, who represents the Baltimore area of Maryland, has frequently clashed with Issa and has openly questioned the validity of the investigation into IRS practices.
With regard to Issa’s remarks, Cummings said, “The gentleman is entitled to his opinion.”