According to reports, a congressional committee hearing saw the removal of a Democrat U.S. congresswoman. The Washington Examiner has identified the lawmaker as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). This incident occurred during a hearing conducted by the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, which operates under the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The focus of the hearing was U.S.-Cuba relations.
It is important to note that Rep. Lee is not a member of the subcommittee. A portion of the incident was captured on camera, and Rep. Lee shared the footage on social media, seemingly aiming to gain support for her cause.
I was just kicked out of a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Cuba policy because the Republican Chair didn’t like my views.
I’d share the livestream, but Republicans cut out the sound when I stood up to defend myself & call them out. pic.twitter.com/eqV1ymor9j
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 18, 2024
From the video, it is evident that Lee intervened during the hearing to support the restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States. Nevertheless, U.S. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), who presided over the subcommittee, did not entertain Lee’s advocacy.
In contrast to Lee, Salazar, according to the Examiner, is “a former journalist [who] has pushed for Cuba to stay on America’s list of countries sponsoring terrorism, citing the regime being repeatedly flagged for human rights violations.”
