Investigate whether drinking played role in chaotic House hearing, senior Democrat Jamie Raskin says

A top-ranking Democrat has said that it’s worth investigating whether alcohol was involved in an explosive, insult-ridden House Oversight Committee hearing earlier this week.

Representative Jamie Raskin called for the investigation after Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat, said non-committee members were drinking in the chamber during a hearing where Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked off a fiery exchange by insulting lawmaker Jasmine Crockett.

“I didn’t see the drinking but the gentlelady from New Mexico, Melanie Stansbury, raised it,” Mr Raskin told Fox Newsoutside the US Capitol on Friday. “She said ‘there are members drinking in the room,’ and that’s something that is worth investigating if there was in fact drinking taking place.”

Mr Raskin pointed the finger at lawmakers from across the aisle.

“There was drinking going on in the hearing room on the Republican side,” he told The Hill.

“You had a bunch of members who had skipped legislative votes yesterday in order to go to Donald Trump’s trial...I don’t even want to imagine how much drinking was taking place on the train or up in New York,” he said.

“And these members came back out of control. And the chairman did not rein them in, and the institution pays the price.”

Additional unnamed representatives from both parties also told Politicothey saw members drinking.

The incident took place during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday to decide if US Attorney General Merrick Garland could be held in contempt of Congress.

It began when Rep. Greene attacked Democratic lawmaker Jasmine Crockett’s “fake eyelashes.”

“I’d like to know if any Democrats on the committee are employing Judge [Juan] Merchan’s daughter?” Ms Greene asked.

Judge Juan Merchan presiding