Barney Frank Spars With GOP Senator On CNN

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchingson (R-TX) sparred this morning on CNN’s State of the Union regarding her implication that the FBI deliberately sat on information regarding Gen. David Petraeus’ extramarital affair until after the election.

Hutchinson told host Candy Crowley that she was “very worried” going on to add: “I want to know a whole lot more about what these first emails really were and did it really trigger an FBI investigation of the CIA director and a low level and it wasn’t raised to a higher level? If anybody is investigating the director of the CIA, the President of the United States should know immediately, and I feel like, a, we don’t know enough, and, b, I have great concerns about a lot of this.”

Frank shot back: “Are you suggesting there was some cover-up, that the FBI are playing games? I think we ought to be explicit about this. I’m troubled by the implication of your statement and are you suggesting that something wasn’t legitimate here? Because that would trouble me.”

Later in the discussion Frank went on to accuse the senator of using a “weasel word” to make her point.

HUTCHISON: I’m suggesting that I have great concerns about the legitimacy of –

FRANK: Excuse me, “great concerns” is kind of a weasel word –

HUTCHISON: It appears the President didn’t know until two months later?

FRANK: It seems to me frankly you’re kind of hinting at something bad, and I don’t see what that could be.

HUTCHISON: I’m hinting at something out of control and not with the proper authority.

FRANK: Do you distrust the FBI? Is [Director] Mueller lying? Who are you accusing of not having done the right thing?

HUTCHISON: I’ve always had great respect for him and great respect for General Petraeus.

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