Welcome to Silly Season in Washington

The internet blew up over a heated exchange in the House Oversight Committee on Thursday evening. Ostensibly, the committee had gathered for a markup of a resolution to hold US Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.

But it quickly devolved into chaos. Unsurprisingly, Marjorie Taylor Greene threw the first grenade when she mocked Jasmine Crockett, a freshman Democrat from Texas, for her “fake eyelashes.” That in turn led to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, asking for Greene’s words to be stricken from the record. When Greene asked if she had hurt her feelings, Ocasio-Cortez replied: “Oh girl, oh baby girl, don’t even play.”

Crockett, a former public defender used to boxing with Republicans from her days in the Texas legislature, responded in kind, by asking Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer if saying “bleach blonde bad-built butch body” would be engaging in personal attacks.

Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the committee, first looked puzzled then appeared to be trying to hold in his laughter. Comer responded by saying “What now?” That led to even more shouting.

The fireworks masked an even deeper problem for Republicans, though. After spending the last six months on an impeachment inquiry, they’ve largely come up dry on impeaching President Joe Biden. Indeed, this markup was actually for a second contempt of Congress resolution for Garland after the House Judiciary Committee had passed one, which means the Oversight Committee had no real reason to pass a resolution.

But that would have gotten in the way of one of the most important pastimes on the Hill: Silly Season. With Congress almost done with all of its important work this year, that means both chambers--the Democratic-controlled Senate and the