Former ICE Head Thomas Homan Loses It During House Hearing

Ryan Grenoble

Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Thomas Homan showed his true colors during a congressional hearing Thursday, angrily lashing out because he wanted to continue speaking after a time limit.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), vice chair of House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, repeatedly and politely asked Homan to respect the time limits. Her requests, however ― and banging the gavel ― went ignored as Homan continued an anti-Democrat tirade, then loudly complained the hearing was “a circus.”

“I’m a taxpayer! I’m a taxpayer!” said Homan, who retired from ICE in June 2018 and is now a Fox News contributor. “You work for me!”

Jayapal said Friday that Homan’s disorderly conduct offered insight into why ICE “has become a rogue agency.”

“If this is the way the ICE Director disrespects rules & Congressional oversight of his agency, it is no wonder that ICE has become a rogue agency,” Jayapal said in a statement. “Homan did a wonderful job of proving this point. P.S. Also clear he can’t stand respecting brown immigrant woman’s power over him.”

Homan, in an appearance Friday on Fox News, defended his behavior, saying he was just trying “to set the record straight.”

“I’m not gonna sit there and let them tell lies about my president, tell lies about the men and women of the Border Patrol and ICE. ... At a certain point it’s like, I’m not gonna shut up,” he said. “Just because you have a gavel, doesn’t make you queen of the day, it doesn’t allow you to lie to the American people.”

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.