Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told an Arab-American witness that she should “hide [her] head in a bag” after repeatedly asking her if she supported Hamas and Hezbollah during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
“You should hide your head in a bag,” Kennedy told Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, who was adamant that did not support Hamas or violence by any group.
Berry said she found the line of questioning “exceptionally disappointing.”
“I think it’s exceptionally disappointing that you’re looking at an Arab-American witness before you and saying, ‘you support Hamas,'” she said.
Berry testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee alongside witnesses from the National Jewish Advocacy Center and Bard Center for the Study of Hate. The conversation touched on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate, specifically on college campuses.
“You support Hamas, do you not?” Kennedy asked Berry.
“Oddly enough, I’m going to say thank you for that question because it demonstrates the purpose of our hearing today” she said, before he interrupted, asking for a yes or no answer.
“Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support,” Berry said. “But you asking the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our country,” she said.
Kennedy then asked if she supported Hezbollah.
“Again, I find this line of questioning extraordinarily disappointing,” Berry said.
After the exchange between Berry and Kennedy, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the committee, allowed Berry to respond.
“Senator Durbin, thank you very much for holding this hearing and for elevating the issue of hate crime. It’s regrettable that I, as I sit here, have experienced the very issue that we’re attempting to deal with today,” she said.
“This has been regrettably a real disappointment but very much an indication of the danger to our democratic institutions that we’re in now,” she added.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement denouncing Kennedy’s treatment of Berry at the hearing, noting that other GOP senators also took a harsh tone toward Berry.
“Maya Berry went before the committee to discuss hate crimes. Both Ms. Berry and the topic should have been treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw in a statement.
“Instead, Sen. Kennedy and others chose to be an example of the bigotry Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims have faced in recent months and years.”
The Hill contacted Kennedy’s office for comment.
