Meadows’s use of Patton to help insulate the president from charges of racism was repeatedly criticized by his Democratic colleagues through the remainder of the hearing. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) argued that “to prop up one member of our entire race of black people and say that that nullifies [racism] is totally insulting.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) also made the point that having a black friend does not absolve you of committing racist acts.<doc-sep>Less than a day after a heated exchange about race, Reps. Mark Meadows and Rashida Tlaib reconciled on the House floor. Tlaib, a freshman Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, had criticized Meadows for using a black administration official as a “prop” at the House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday. Meadows was attempting to discredit testimony by Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, that the president was a “racist.” The official, Lynne Patton, a regional administrator of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, formerly worked for the Trump Organization and a foundation established by Eric Trump, the president’s son. She stood behind Meadows during his remarks but did not speak. “Just because someone has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they aren't racist,” said Tlaib, who is a Palestinian-American and one of two Muslim women in Congress. “And it is insensitive, and some would even say that the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman, in this chamber, in this committee is alone racist in itself.” Rep. Mark Meadows, left, a Republican from North Carolina, listens as comments made by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Democrat from Michigan, are reviewed at a House Oversight committee hearing with Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, not pictured, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. (Photos: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images — Alex Wong/Getty Images) Meadows expressed outrage and asked for Tlaib’s comments to be stricken from the record. Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who is black, tried to smooth over the confrontation, calling Meadows one of his best friends. He offered Tlaib the opportunity to clarify her statement and she said that she was not calling Meadows a racist, but that it was a “racist act” to use Patton in that way. Meadows, with tears in his eyes, thanked Cummings and Tlaib. “To my colleague, Mr. Meadows, that was not my intention,” Tlaib said. “And I do apologize if that’s what it sounded like. But I said ‘someone’ in general.” Late Thursday morning, the Washington Post’s Paul Kane reported that Tlaib and Meadows had hugged on the floor and engaged in a long, cordial discussion. "She said she didn't mean it yesterday, so there was no need to apologize," Meadows told reporters afterwards. "I wanted her to know and she wanted me to know that our relationship is one that will hopefully provide real good results going forward." Story continues Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., is seen during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in Rayburn Building featuring testimony by Michael Cohen, former attorney for President Donald Trump, on Russian interference in the 2016 election on Feb. 27, 2019. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Zuma) “I believe that moment as a person of color and not only myself, two, three other of my colleagues had mentioned how insensitive that act was. I think all of us, even folks at home, kind of gasped when that actually happened,” said Tlaib in a CNN interview Thursday when asked if she felt what Meadows had done was a racist act. “I think if we want to talk about race in this country, that's not the way to do it." Before Tlaib spoke, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who is also black, asked Cohen about Trump’s history. "Would you agree that someone could deny rental units to African-Americans, lead the birther movement, referred to the diaspora as 'shithole countries,” and refer to white supremacists as 'fine people,' have a black friend and still be racist?" asked Pressley. “Yes,” said Cohen. “I agree,” said Pressley. Meadows, leader of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, had previously endorsed the “birther” conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not a native U.S. citizen. “We’ll send him back home to Kenya or wherever it is,” said Meadows in a 2012 video. When asked about the comments Thursday, Meadows told reporters that it was “old news” and that he had said it while trying to win an election. "I've addressed that dozens of times and candidly apologized for that a number of times,” said Meadows. “It was when I was running for office and answered a question — I actually had just gotten back from Kenya. We had been doing mission work in Kenya, so anybody who knows me knows that I really show respect regardless of race or gender," Meadows told reporters outside the House chamber. Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., center, Harley Rouda, D-Calif., left, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., talk during a House Oversight and Reform Committee business meeting in the Rayburn Building on Jan. 29, 2019. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images) _____ Read more from Yahoo News:<doc-sep>A second video shared on Twitter showed Meadows at a tea party forum suggesting again that Obama’s home is in Africa. Meadows, then a candidate for Congress, spoke to Roll Call and clarified that he believed Obama was an American citizen. According to the Roll Call story, Meadows’s remarks came after a man asked him: “The question I have, if you’re sent to Congress, will you pursue some kind of investigation to find out whether or not this, uh, guy is really a citizen and entitled to those authorities?” Meadows said he would.<doc-sep>Attempting to discredit Michael Cohen’s testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Mark Meadows accused him of lying on a form he filled out in preparation for his appearance Wednesday. But Meadows’s questions appeared to be based on a misreading of the congressional Truth in Testimony form. Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina, attempted to prove that Cohen, President Trump’s former attorney, had perjured himself by omitting from the form work he had done with foreign businesses while working for Trump. Meadows brought it up earlier in the hearing and again when time was yielded to him. “Mr. Cohen, I’m going to come back to the question I asked before with regards to your false statement you submitted to Congress,” said Meadows. “On here it was very clear that it asked for contracts with foreign entities over the last two years. Have you had any foreign contract with foreign entities?” “I believe it talks about lobbying. I did no lobbying,” said Cohen. “They are not governments.” Meadows became incensed, asking Cohen why he hadn’t put his dealings with foreign companies on the form, saying it was a criminal offense to leave them off. After an extended back-and-forth, Cohen said he would double-check the forms, and Meadows said, “It’s just one more example of you skirting the truth.” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., questions Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Trump, as he testifies Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) But Meadows’s attack was apparently based on a misreading of the Truth in Testimony form, which reads in part, "If you are a non-governmental witness, please list any contracts or payments originating with a foreign government and related to the hearing's subject matter that you or the organization(s) you represent at this hearing received in the current year and previous two calendar years." Cohen qualifies as a nongovernmental witness, and even Meadows conceded he had no contracts with a foreign government. A few minutes later, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., pointed out Meadows’s error. “I want to mention really quick a clarification on the Truth in Testimony form,” said Hill. “The mention was around whether it talks about foreign entities at all, and the question is in fact whether witnesses have any contracts or payments originating with a foreign government. It does not cover all foreign entities, just foreign government entities. So Mr. Cohen, what I’d like to ask you to do is review this issue over lunch with your attorneys, and if you need to amend your form we ask that you do that before the conclusion of today’s hearing.” Story continues Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, turned to face Meadows after Hill’s statement, and a camera caught Meadows winking at him. After a second recess, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic chairman of the Oversight Committee, conferred with Cohen, Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Oh., about the forms. Cohen said after consulting with his attorneys he felt that his form was still accurate but Meadows and Jordan wanted further inquiry about payments from foreign companies with ties to their government, such as the BTA Bank in Kazakhstan. Cummings said they would work with Cohen to make sure that everyone had the same definition of the terms on the forms. “I said to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him to the cross so if there's any ambiguity I want that to be cleared up,” said Cummings. There is a history of Trump associates filling out government forms incorrectly. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, has had to repeatedly update his forms to the point that the director of the government’s background check bureau said he had “never seen that level of mistakes.” Three months after those remarks, even more errors were reported. Earlier this year, the Office of Government Ethics ruled that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had violated his ethics agreement by making errors on his 2018 financial disclosure forms. _____ Read more from Yahoo News:<doc-sep>
He blew up only when Ms. Tlaib said his use of Ms. Patton was a racist act: “Just because a person has a person of color, a black person, working for them does not mean they aren’t racist,” she said, referring to Mr. Trump. “And it is insensitive, and some would even say the fact that someone would actually use a prop, a black woman, in this chamber, in this committee, is alone racist in itself, ” Ms. Tlaib concluded, meaning Mr. Meadows. That’s when Mr. Meadows lost it, insisting that Ms. Tlaib’s comments about him be stricken from the record and whipping out the “some of my best friends are black” defense. “You and I,” he said to Representative Elijah Cummings, the Oversight Committee chairman, who is black, “have a personal relationship that isn’t based on color.” He insisted that he couldn’t be racist because he had nieces and nephews of color. It was a performance that he’s clearly hoping will win him one of next year’s Oscars. He defended his record on race, so we should cast aside that time in 2012 when he embraced the racist birtherism theory to his supporters by saying that “2012 is the time we’re going to send Mr. Obama back home to Kenya or wherever it is.” Mr. Meadows threw a fit during a hearing where Mr. Cohen claimed the president had said black people were too stupid to vote for him and had called African nations “shithole” countries. There was actual proof of Mr. Trump’s racism on offer, and Mr. Meadows chose to flip out about an accusation instead. It appears that to him, accusations of racism are more dangerous than racist acts themselves.