What was supposed to be a serious Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday spiraled into political theater when Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), a live-action role player (LARPer) of a U.S. senator, repeatedly badgered Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at one point holding up a novelty starfish pin and declaring the secretary “unworthy” of it.
Luján opened his questioning by accusing Kennedy of ignoring expert advice, citing the resignation letter of Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a former CDC director. When Kennedy answered that he was regularly briefed, naming Dr. William Thompson, Luján dismissed the reply and pressed for more, berating the secretary as evasive, while unhinged, claiming Kennedy couldn’t understand Luján’s “New Mexico accent.”
The senator then fixated on a contractor, David Geyer, claiming he was secretly conducting a government autism study despite Kennedy’s clear denial. Kennedy explained that Geyer was a contractor with limited access to federal data, but Luján insisted otherwise, throwing accusations and dredging up unrelated past legal disputes. “Do you know who works for you, Mr. Kennedy?” Luján peformatively sneered before repeatedly interrupting Kennedy’s attempts to give him an answer.
The exchange reached peak absurdity when Luján waved a starfish pin he said had been given to him at a town hall in Las Cruces. In a dramatic scolding, he told Kennedy: “I was going to give it to you today, but after your questioning today, I don’t think you deserve it.” Luján went on to lecture Kennedy with a children’s parable about tossing stranded starfish back into the ocean, before concluding, “I’m sorry that you’re not worthy of this nice little pin … today was a failure for you, man.”
Kennedy, visibly frustrated after being repeatedly cut off, accused Luján of “showboating” for the cameras. The back-and-forth left the New Mexico Democrat looking more interested in theatrics than substance, with his condescending tone and props drawing raised eyebrows even from colleagues.
Instead of pressing for answers, Luján’s tirade devolved into what critics described as a bizarre stunt that trivialized a serious discussion on health policy. His “starfish speech” capped off an afternoon where Kennedy was often interrupted and prevented from responding fully to questions.
For many watching, the moment cemented Luján’s reputation for turning hearings into spectacles. What should have been an exchange about facts and policy instead ended with a senator making himself the headline.
How childish.
Watching Benny. He’s reading all that he is bashing. Nothing memorized nothing what is true. It’s all prepared against Kennedy. Look at Benny he’s really lost weight!! Interesting is this the real Benny. He even stumbles on his words and he asked Kennedy if he understood him. Hummmmm
Benny!! descalmate
Ben is such a wimp. Thinks he is so brave behind that microphonecans surrounded by his cronies. Just gets pulled around by the nose ring by the party. Just a puss.
The NM Clown Show continues unabated in front of the entire nation.
We probably have one of the most unqualified, embarrassing congressional delegations in the country – another “wonderful” category we are “first” in.
Lujan doesnt have a New Mexican accent. he has a feminine accent. Lujan is an embarrassment. he has accomplished NOTHING. Kennedy tells him he doesnt even know what he is talking about – thats NM TRUE
Typical Lujan family theatrics.
Really?..grow up….and have a big boy conversation….that was ridiculous.
You get what you vote for. Why people continue to vote for democrats in this state just demonstrates their ignorance of reality.
Talk to our governor that way Ben , your cousin. she needs a wake up. NM so dumb they elected two Lujans. My god.
Both are pieces of shit
Just check where his funding ( bribery) comes from and you’ll see he is just like most of Congress, inept , corrupt and couldn’t care less about the American people. I’ll bet shekel’s to donuts that lil Benny is just a shill for big pharma. Reading from a script written by them to attack a man who is finally trying to get to the root of autism and the poisoning of Americans. He wouldn’t have enough sense on his own to form any relevant opinion. NM strikes again for idiocy and embarrassment!
That must be a clone of Benny boy.. what an *sswipe!
Hey dips*it… New Mexico is more than 800 miles from a fricking Ocean or a Gulf. WITF does a starfish represent for all of us who you are supposed to represent?
I mean like crap… a Green Chile, a hot air balloon, a trivia tribal copy of something like the Zia symbol… even Zozobra.. A charm with the outline of the State…
I mean like WTF over? A fricking STARFISH? Where in the hap hazard hell did you come up with that stupid ignorant piece of……
Oh My God… never mind… Your still stuck on Stupid and a member of the DNC of NM… that explains everything… Jerkoff.
What did you expect of lujan? He’s a little kid in a little kids body. He’s brain is not fully developed. Oh I said that in my New Mexico accent. 😁
Benny is so delusional that he thinks he lives on the Gulf of New Mexico! What an embarrassment for our state!
Drug tests all around!!!! This should be a requirement – everyone else is held to a standard EXCEPT our leaders.
pendejo
what a POS……….grow up!!!!!!
Your staffers mislead you with the starfish gimmic. Just made you look silly as a federal Senator. At least you could have held up a green chili ;).
NOW KNOWN AS “SENATOR STARFISH”!
I’m from New Mexico and I can barely understand Bengay.
Lujan ‘s showboating performance shows exactly why he’s considered a “pendejo” in a lot of people’s opinion.
Benny followed the same line of angry conflicted arguments that all the rest of the democrats used. Implied accusations and when he refuted them they just kept up with their arguments. They weren’t interested in an honest answer and evidently didn’t listen to his answers. Good work New Mexico voters..
Ben and his staff need to see this videotape, the voters of New Mexico needs to see this tape…I saw the chair face and he was embarrassed.
I blame the voters who put him there…he looked like a big buffoon….you can’t measure his IQ because he doesn’t have one….
I am a sixth generation native Texan living in NM to be near my grandson, daughter, and son in law. I have been here, unfortunately in Albuquerque, since 2010. My grandson was born in Rio Rancho. I have truly made an effort to be upbeat and positive about NM, have truly tried to adjust to living here, have tried to keep an optimistic outlook and find things to like about being here in addition to my family being here…and it is virtually impossible for me to do it. The politics here have destroyed everything, and thanks to the herd animal ignorant voters and the endless influx of liberal leftist democrats, all devoid of critical thinking ability, all too stupid to discern truth through the haze of lies, nothing here will change. This is a welfare state with generational welfare recipients which will always determine how they vote. As for the democrats who run/rule this place, from what I have seen, they are your typical communists running everything into the ground. Voting fraud is off the scale here and the current ‘governor’ and the rest of her cabal will happily rule over the ruins. How anyone can be satisfied with this truly baffles me. NM is first in everything bad and last in anything good, and apparently that is fine with the majority who continue to wallow in psychotic hatred of anyone who threatens their herd animal narrative while continuing to vote for their own destruction.