Watch Dan Goldman Throw a Tantrum at a Hearing

In last week’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) flew into a full-on toddler temper tantrum in an exchange with Prof. Jonathan Turley after Rep. Andy Biggs had to intercede to restore order.

Let’s break down this two-part display of buffoonery.

Goldman vs. Turley

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing called to discuss federal regulatory overreach, Rep. Goldman chose to derail the hearing for his own purposes. One of the witnesses invited to offer testimony was Prof. Jonathan Turley, who is widely regarded as an expert in criminal and constitutional law and who has testified before Congress at the invitation of both Republicans and Democrats in the past. He opened by attempting to disparage Turley for his participation as a witness during the Biden impeachment investigation undertaken in Congress’s previous session. Goldman intimated that Turley had a left-leaning bias and mocked the frivolity of the Biden investigation.  When Turley started to respond, Goldman repeatedly cut Turley off, refusing to let him respond.

The same occurred when Goldman floated his latest loosely worded Trump conspiracy theory; this time about some convoluted crypto scheme and access to the White House which, frankly, we did not really follow. When Turley refused to take Goldman’s yarn at face value, Goldman tried to interrupt Turley again, but the chair of the committee, Andy Biggs, cut him off.

Goldman vs. Biggs

What followed was a prolonged back-and-forth between Biggs and Goldman that requires a scorecard for an observer to track. Despite several attempts to keep talking, Biggs stood firm, doing his best to rein in his colleague’s outburst. But, Goldman persisted like a toddler demanding an ice cream cone after being told “no!” emphatically. He whined and complained, while Biggs slammed his gavel repeatedly in response.

It was not a good look.

Goldman’s Bad Faith and Emotional Outburst

By now, we already know Dan Goldman’s deal. He’s a former impeachment counsel, current trust-fund baby and an MSNBC darling obsessed with “getting” Republicans and Trump by any means necessary. That includes bad faith straw-man statements, shaded opinions offered as fact, and emotion hijacking discussions when facing the least bit of pushback.

For instance, you may have heard a snicker or two in the video when Goldman derailed Turley’s comparison between Goldman’s latest Trump accusations and the committee’s Biden investigation by stating that he didn’t want to talk about Biden. Goldman stepped into an unintentionally hilarious moment — of course he doesn’t want to talk about Biden’s wrongdoing! His reaction to those laughs was telling, as Goldman’s reaction was to lash out and disparage Turley.

But perhaps most telling was when the New York congressman tried every way possible to make himself look right but failed. The video is undeniable: Goldman intentionally interrupted Turley on at least three different occasions, Biggs interceded to shut down Goldman, whose allotted time was up and allowed Turley to finish his response.

Was He “Clip-Farming?”

Perhaps the most telling evidence of how Rep. Goldman seemingly believes this exchange looked to the public is the fact that he and his staff uploaded a wholly incomplete segment of the total interaction onto his own YouTube channel. Maybe he’s embarrassed at his behavior. Or, maybe he knows that Biggs and Turley got his goat.

This moment is emblematic of why we call the daily goings-on in government “DUMBmocracy.” The average American doesn’t follow these out-of-control committee hearings. They do not know all of the political theater, media spin, and elite arrogance that has a death grip on our everyday workings. Goldman claims to defend truth and democracy but instead tries to suppress discourse and manipulate proceedings.  

Brats like Goldman playing shady political games — then whining when they don’t get their way — are just another day in Washington. Over time, we hope that while Goldman performs for Beltway insiders and cable news clips, everyday Americans will see through the showmanship.

What do you think about this latest Buffoonish act? Was Goldman on the side of the angels? Or is he an egregious example of a hypocritical narcissist? Let us know what you think in the comments below – and don’t forget to follow and subscribe to all of our social media!