opinion
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Jussie Smollett have been trending on the
Lee made the comments during an interview with CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins. She began by asserting that “institutional racism is in the DNA of this country.”
She then focused on a story that she claimed was an example of the “personal racism” she experienced as a member of Congress.
“I was walking…to the Capitol building and a white man stopped me and told me I couldn’t get to the member elevator,” she claimed without evidence.
“He blocked me from entering the elevator and told me that I was not a member of Congress and that the elevator was for members only. I said: Sir, I am a member of Congress. I showed him my pin and he said: Who did you steal the pin from?
Rep. Barbara Lee: “I was walking into the Capitol and a man stopped me, a white man, and told me I couldn't get in the members' elevator… He told me it was for members only. And I said, 'Sir, I'm a congressman,' and I showed him my pin. And he said, 'Sir, I'm a congressman.' Who stole the pin? pic.twitter.com/RGhOpfTMjM
– Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 19, 2024
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People were skeptical of Barbara Lee's claim
Now, as far as we know, Barbara Lee did not embellish her story by noting that she was heading to the subway at 2 a.m. in -20 degrees Celsius when a “white man” suddenly shouted, “This is MAGA country!”
But she felt like she was one step closer to doing so. Social media users on X noticed Jussie Smollett appearing alongside the congresswoman.
“I'll agree that never happened. How very Jussie Smollett you are.” one person wrote.
Conservative documentary filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza noted that Lee's story “has what Jussie Smollett said 'A cycle of inauthenticity' She added that Collins' “uncritical reaction adds to the atmosphere of political falsity.”
Others suggested that if the incident had actually occurred, it is highly unlikely that Lee would not have reported it to someone in the building, and even more unlikely that they would not have been able to pull up a video of the exchange.
In order to access member elevators, one needs to pass through various security checkpoints using an employee ID or member PIN, so it should be easy to root out alleged racism. He's someone who works at the Capitol.
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Lee tried to disrupt a congressional hearing
When she's not channeling her inner Jussie Smollett, Barbara Lee is busy channeling her inner Hunter Biden. No, not the “crazy” hunter. “Smashing Congressional Hearings to Get Attention” Hunter.
Lee attempted to filibuster the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, but Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) rejected his request.
“Today, I exercised my authority as subcommittee chair to disallow a non-committee member from spreading communist propaganda during the hearing in Cuba,” Salazar wrote in X. “Members are not entitled to join any Committee proceedings without obtaining the full approval of the Committee members.” “.
Lee posted a video of herself wearing the shoes after she tried to boycott the official business of Congress, or as some called it, stage an insurrection.
I was just kicked out of a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Cuba policy because the Republican president didn't like my views.
I was going to go live, but Republicans cut off the audio when I stood up to defend myself and called them out. pic.twitter.com/eqV1ymor9j
– Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 18, 2024
The committee session was called to discuss the Biden administration's lenient policies towards Cuba.
Lee was a prominent sympathizer of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The congresswoman took advantage of his death to praise Castro, describing him as a world leader who deserves to be mourned.
“We have to stop and mourn his loss,” she said, adding that he was an “intelligent man” who “led a revolution in Cuba that led to social improvements for his people.”
