Curt Clawson is Florida's newest congressman. In fact, it's his one-month anniversary on the job after winning the seat vacated by Trey "Cocaine Congressman" Radel.
He positioned himself heavily in the campaign as an "outsider," and, well, yesterday he certainly proved that he's clueless to the inner workings and decorum of Congress.
During a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee where two high-ranking State Department officials were testifying, Clawson apparently just assumed they were officials representing the Indian government, even though it's quite uncommon for officials from foreign countries to testify before Congress, according to Foreign Policy.
The officials in question are Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, and Arun M. Kumar, the Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets in the Commerce Department. Both are Indian-Americans.
Here's Clawson embarrassing himself.
"Just as your capital is welcome here to produce good-paying jobs in the U.S., I'd like our capital to be welcome there," Clawson asked. "I ask cooperation and commitment and priority from your government in so doing. Can I have that?"
"I think your question is to the Indian government," Biswal replied. "We certainly share your sentiment, and we certainly will advocate that on behalf of the U.S."
"Of course," Clawson says while smiling. "Let's see some progress."
Kumar can be seen smiling to himself.
The hearing by the way was held by the the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and giving Biswal's title and Kumar's background in business in both Silicon Valley and India, it certainly made sense that both were there.
Can someone drug test this guy?
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