Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been accused of misleading Congress after he denied seeing Donald Trump fall asleep in meetings. However, video evidence played during the congressional hearing appeared to contradict him. The confrontation happened on Wednesday as Democratic Representative Ted Lieu questioned Rubio during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
Marco Rubio questioned over Donald Trump falling asleep claims
Rep. Ted Lieu opened his questioning by stating that Marco Rubio had “been at more than one meeting where President [Donald] Trump has fallen asleep.” The secretary pushed back immediately. “I’ve never seen him fall asleep. On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep, which is a big problem ’cause he calls me at two in the morning, he calls me at five in the morning, and you know, I like to sleep a little bit, maybe not 12 hours, but at least six,” Rubio said before Lieu interrupted the tangent.
What followed was a methodical dismantling of Rubio’s denial. Lieu played a clip from a May Cabinet meeting showing Rubio speaking while Trump sat beside him, eyes closed and head drooping. “You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you,” Lieu said.
He then posed a broader question: “If Donald Trump cannot stay awake at these important meetings where the cameras are rolling, imagine what he’s like when the cameras are not there. So I’m gonna ask you, have you been at classified meetings where Donald Trump has fallen asleep or had trouble staying awake?”
However, Rubio refused to yield. He maintained that Trump was not sleeping and repeated his claim of never having seen such behaviour. Lieu responded, “So you’re lying again? You’re lying consistently to Congress. You’re lying to Congress, Secretary Rubio.” The congressman proceeded to present two further videos.
As his allotted time drew to a close, Lieu further broadened his attack. “Instead of holding North Korean–style Cabinet meetings where everyone goes around the room kissing Donald Trump’s a**, I’m gonna ask you to come clean with the American people and the White House, as well.”
Rubio dismissed the remarks as “absurd” and “ridiculous.” He further claimed that Trump works “inhumane hours” before pivoting to attack Joe Biden’s cognitive fitness.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
