Ya gotta love Congresswomen Katie Porter (D-Calif.) for the way she doesn’t let right-wingers get away with the lies and obfuscations that other congresspeople (and certain New York Times reporters and columnists) let them spew unchallenged.
Amy Swearer, who works as a “Legal Fellow” at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese (!) Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, had previously testified under oath that an assault weapons ban introduced on the Hill in the wake of the Buffalo and Texas mass shootings, would “see millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens become felons overnight for nothing more than scary-looking features on firearms.”
Swearer is a lawyer who had read the bill in question. That bill specfically grandfathers assault weapon owners who owned their weapons before the bill went into effect. Those people are not going to lose their weapons and Rep. Porter knew Swearer was probably lying under oath, which is simply part of the conservative playbook these days: state things are a bald-faced lies, give conservative media a soundbite, and assume nobody will follow-up.
Porter wasn’t having it:
I was quite surprised by your answer,” said Porter. “You read the bill before you came to Congress to testify against it, yes?”
Swearer said yes as it pertains to the ban on assault weapons.
“So you knew that the bill would allow any gun owner to maintain possession of any semiautomatic assault weapon that was lawfully possessed before the bill became law,” said Porter.
“No. So that is the case under that bill,” said Swearer. “The problem is…”
Porter interjected as Swearer tried to explain her stance.
“The time belongs to me,” said Porter.
“If you don’t want to hear an answer to my question, I’m not sure what’s being asked,” said Swearer.
Porter told Swearer, “You knew that the bill would allow the gun owner to maintain possession of any semi-automatic assault weapon that was lawfully possessed before the bill becomes law.”
“I respect that we have different opinions on Representative Cicilline’s assault weapons law, but we cannot have different facts,” said Porter, who went on to accuse Swearer of perjury.
“You falsely testified under oath about the bill…,” said Porter.
Swearer interrupted Porter and asked her, “Would you like the explanation of why I said that?”
Porter refused, causing Swearer to look frustrated.
“I have been accused of falsely testifying under oath and I would like to address it,” said Swearer.
“I asked you if that bill was correct, if the bill would allow any gun owner to maintain possession and you said yes,” said Porter. “Yet you testified that the bill would allow people to become felons overnight.”
Porter went on to take a personal shot at Swearer.
“Earlier today you testified you hoped that this was the last time you testify before Congress,” she said. “For the sake of our nation and integrity of this Congress I do too.”
You go, Rep. Porter!