David Friedman Image by Courtesy Cindy Grosz

By Nathan Guttman February 16, 2017

Protests are nothing new in congressional meetings, but David Friedman’s confirmation hearing brought out an impressive array of hecklers.

As Friedman prepared to read his opening statement at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a protestor stood up waving a Palestinian flag and raising the issue of Palestinian refugees. “Mr. Friedman supports the annexation of the West Bank,” he called out, while being removed by security guards.

And then another heckler stood up, accusing Friedman of being a “war criminal.”

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And after that, a couple of protestors from IfNotNow stood up, blew a shofar and shouted at Friedman that he does not represent them. They succeeded in holding out for about a minute until being removed from the room, while singing.

Committee chairman Bob Corker anticipated the protests, warning hecklers at the opening of the discussion that they might be jailed. Senator Lindsey Graham joked that he can represent them in court and that his fees are reasonable, but “you get what you pay for.”

Friedman sat quietly during the disruptions, picking up on his speech from the point he stopped once the hecklers were taken out of the room.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

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