Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) repeatedly bullied the president of the Sierra Club regarding climate change.
The Republican presidential hopeful attempted to corner Sierra Club President Aaron Mair during a Tuesday hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
It’s painful to watch this Senate hearing as Senator and GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz (R-TX) repeatedly pushes Sierra Club President Aaron Mair on climate change. Cruz relies on classic denier arguments, saying satellite data shows the Earth isn’t warming and that there has been a “pause” or “hiatus” in global warming, which NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has refuted.
Mair had testified earlier that “our planet is cooking and heating up and warming” and Cruz repeatedly badgered and bullied him, claiming that recent satellite data did not show a warming trend – and asking Mair if he would retract his statement were he “confronted with the facts.”
“Is it the Sierra Club’s position as you just testified, that the Earth is cooking up and heating and warming right now? Is that the Sierra Club’s position?” Cruz began.
“Global temperatures are on the rise sir,” Mair replied.
“And I assume that the Sierra Club would issue a public retraction if confronted with the facts?” Cruz asked, adding: “That the data are precisely as I described. That over the last 18 years there has been no significant warming. And indeed that is why global alarmists invented the term ‘the pause’ to explain what they call the pause in global arming because the data demonstrate what you just said that the Earth is cooking and warming is not backed up by the data.”
Mair responded: “We are concurring with 97 percent of the scientists that say the exact opposite, sir.”
Cruz continued badgering Mair, asking again: “So if the data are contrary to your testimony, would the Sierra Club issue a retraction?”
“Sir, we concur with the 97 percent scientific consensus with regards to global warming,” Mair replied.
“I’d like to repeat the question and get an answer,” Cruz snapped back, continuing his bullying tactic: “If the data are contrary to your testimony, would the Sierra Club issue a retraction?”
“We concur with 97 percent of the scientists that believe the anthropogenic impact of mankind with regards to global warming are true,” Mair again responded.
“So does that mean you are not willing to answer the question?” Cruz retorted.
“We concur with the preponderance of the evidence — you’re asking me if we’ll take 3 percent over the 97 percent? Of course not,” an exasperated Mair responded.
Cruz took one more baseless shot at Mair before that portion of the hearing concluded.
You know, Mr. Mair, I find it striking that for a policy organization that purports to focus exclusively on environmental issues, that you are not willing to tell this committee that you would issue a retraction if your testimony is objectively false under scientific data. That undermines the credibility of any organization.
You can watch Cruz’s disgraceful behavior below:
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