--- title: Congressman Brought a Bucket of Fried Chicken to Hearing description: On Thursday morning, Rep. Steve Cohen enjoyed some Kentucky Fried Chicken — in an apparent reference to Attorney General Barr's absence. canonical: https://time.com/5581923/congressman-eating-fried-chicken-meme/ author: Rachel E. Greenspan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-02T14:14:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:29:38.493Z og:title: People Love the Congressman Who Brought a Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Hearing to Troll Barr og:description: Rep. Cohen made a joke — but he also enjoyed his breakfast og:url: https://time.com/5581923/congressman-eating-fried-chicken-meme/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2011e376255f3e2a/6989495a656a3f363bbd70f6/steve-cohen-fried-chicken-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5250 og:image:height: 2953 og:image:alt: Congressman Brought a Bucket of Fried Chicken to Hearing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Love the Congressman Who Brought a Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Hearing to Troll Barr twitter:description: Rep. Cohen made a joke — but he also enjoyed his breakfast twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2011e376255f3e2a/6989495a656a3f363bbd70f6/steve-cohen-fried-chicken-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Congressman Brings Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Committee Hearing to Troll Barr > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7f774e39-c451-434f-b3f9-9b82e53b9e37&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Congressman Brings Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Committee Hearing to Troll Barr [Watch (HLS stream): Congressman Brings Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Committee Hearing to Troll Barr](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YqV1Mfkk.m3u8) (0:35)  _Published 2019-05-02. Rep. Steve Cohen may have been trying to make a joke when he arrived to a House Judiciary Committee hearing with fried chicken. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy his breakfast._ by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan May 2, 2019 2:14 PM UTC Rep. Steve Cohen may have been trying to make a joke when he arrived to a House Judiciary Committee hearing with fried chicken. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy his breakfast. by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan May 2, 2019 2:14 PM UTC Rep. Steve Cohen may have been trying to make a joke when he arrived to a [House Judiciary Committee hearing](http://time.com/5575776/nadler-subpoena-mcgahn-white-house-lawyer/) with fried chicken. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy his [breakfast](http://time.com/5516364/is-eating-breakfast-healthy/). Ahead of the 9 a.m. hearing on Thursday, the Tennessee [Democrat](http://time.com/5581861/michael-bennet-2020-presidential-campaign/) ate Kentucky Fried Chicken out of its famous container. But Cohen told those at the hearing that it was more than just breakfast. He pointed to the chicken and said, “He’s here,” according to a tweet from the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino — apparently a reference to [Attorney General William Barr](http://time.com/5581039/masterful-hairsplitting-senate-democrats-criticize-attorney-general-over-mueller-probe/)‘s absence from the [hearing](http://time.com/5581399/william-barr-congress-testimony-democrats/). The Congressman also brought a plastic chicken to accompany his snack. > [](https://twitter.com/laurenegambino/status/1123935812729626624) “Chicken Barr should have shown up today,” Cohen said, according to TIME’s Alana Abramson. Barr [testified](http://time.com/5581003/william-barr-senate-testimony-opening-statement/) Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee about [Robert Mueller’s report](http://time.com/5581550/kamala-harris-william-barr/), but [announced Wednesday](http://time.com/5581552/william-barr-snubs-house-mueller-testimony/) that he wouldn’t attend the Congressional hearing the following day. > [](https://twitter.com/aabramson/status/1123944093892194304) > [](https://twitter.com/desiderioDC/status/1123934764812128264) Cohen himself got in on the fun on Twitter. Someone asked why he had the fried chicken at this hearing, and Cohen had the best response. “Why is this hearing different from all other hearings?” Beyond further making his point against Barr, Cohen referenced a line — Why is this night different from all other nights? — from prayers during the [Jewish holiday of Passover](http://time.com/5561441/passover-10-plagues-real-history/), which was observed in April. > [](https://twitter.com/RepCohen/status/1123937432146272257) But don’t worry, he didn’t hog the famous Southern treat all to himself, offering some to his fellow members of Congress, Gambino reports. Other videos and photos shared by reporters on Twitter show a hungry Congressional committee. > [](https://twitter.com/laurenegambino/status/1123936014404333569) > [](https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1123942762586488832) > [](https://twitter.com/andyharnik/status/1123936905102548999) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5581923/congressman-eating-fried-chicken-meme/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5581923/congressman-eating-fried-chicken-meme/"},"headline":"Congressman Brings Bucket of Fried Chicken to the Committee Hearing to Troll Barr","datePublished":"2019-05-02T14:14:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:29:38.493Z","description":"Rep. 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