Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threw down in a heated clash over migrant children at a Thursday hearing.

The hearing went off the rails on multiple occasions, with Mullin clashing with Democratic lawmakers. Homeland Security Subcommittee Chair Mark Amodei (R-NV) threatened at one point to postpone the hearing.

“This is not Meet the Press or Fox News or whatever for anybody involved, it’s what’s the question, what’s the answer,” he warned.

DeLauro later asked Amodei to “put” Mullin “in his place” after she got upset over Mullin interrupting her.

“Let me just say this to you, sir. Again, it is my time. 3,900 children were separated from their families,” DeLauro said, appearing to refer a report from former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021 on the number of migrant children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border in President Donald Trump’s first administration.

“450,000 kids were lost during the Biden administration, you didn’t say a word about it,” Mullin shot back.

He appeared to be referring to a claim made by his predecessor and others in the administration that boils down to migrant children not being directly monitored by DHS because they do not respond to communications or were never given an official appearance date.

Reports aside, DeLauro did not appreciate the interruption.

“Don’t interrupt me!” she said, pointing her finger at the secretary.

“Don’t you point your finger at me. Don’t be a hypocrite,” he shot back.

“I will point my finger at you,” DeLauro said.

“Don’t you be a hypocrite then. You should be as upset about the 450,000 kids that were lost,” Mullin said. “You didn’t say a word about it! For four years you never said a word!”

This was when Amodei had to step in again.

“Mr. Secretary,” he said as Mullin continued.

“Could you put him in his place?!” DeLauro asked Amodei.

“Don’t yell at me. I’m the good guy,” the chairman said.

“You should be put in your place,” Mullin told DeLauro.

“Mr. Secretary, if you would like four minutes for a closing statement when everybody’s done, I’ll give you that. But while members are on their eight minutes, I need them to have their eight minutes,” Amodei said.

“My issue is that they say this for sound bites and I’m not going to let them say something that’s not true,” Mullin responded.

“What did you do just recently for sound bites?! I sympathize with the 400,000 [children],” DeLauro asked.

“We are going to have something resembling order here,” Amodei said. “The time is the ranking member’s. If you would like to respond later on there are methods to do that but it’s not a who can talk louder into the mic.”

“I will not let her sit there and lie and accuse something that’s ridiculous,” Mullin said.

“You know, this is the legislative branch and it’s my hearing and so I’m going to try to some extent to control it moderately,” Amodei said.

“And do not accuse me of lying,” DeLauro said. “Do not.”

“Then don’t,” Mullin replied.

“I do not. I appreciate and I said to you at the outset there’s concern for children across the board,” DeLauro said. “We care deeply about what’s happening to children and I went to the border and I watched children in those fenced-in places years ago and what was happening to them, so I have a long history, Mr. Secretary, in this area.”

Watch above via CSPAN.

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