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‘I Think He’s Crazy’: Senators Caught Talking About President Trump on a Hot Mic

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was accidentally recorded talking about President Donald Trump and the Texas Republican congressman Blake Farenthold during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.

According to a spokesperson for Sen. Collins, someone sitting near her didn’t turn off the microphone. It’s currently unclear whose microphone was left on.

At the start of the recording, Collins speaks to Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who is the ranking Democrat of the subcommittee. The two discussed Trump’s federal budget, calling his administration’s handling of the budget “irresponsible,” according to the Washington Post.

“I swear, [the Office of Management and Budget] just went through and whenever there was ‘grant,’ they just X it out,” Collins said, according to the Post. “With no measurement, no thinking about it, no metrics, no nothing. It’s just incredibly irresponsible.”

“Yes,” Reed replied. “I think — I think he’s crazy,” he said, referring to the president, according the Post. “I mean, I don’t say that lightly and as a kind of a goofy guy.”

“I’m worried,” Collins added.

The two continue to speak about the budget. But in a more crude portion of their unintentionally recorded chat, Collins addresses Rep. Blake Farenthold’s (R-Tex.) recent radio interview where he blamed “some female senators from the Northeast” for failing to repeal and replace Obamacare. Collins has consistently opposed the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, and appeared to be the target of Farenthold’s criticism. During his interview, he said that if Collins were a man, he would challenge her to an “Aaron Burr-style” duel.

“Did you see the one who challenged me to a duel?” Collins asked.

“I know,” Reed said. “Trust me. Do you know why he challenged you to a duel? ‘Cause you could beat the s–t out of him.”

“Well, he’s huge,” Collins replied. “And he — I don’t mean to be unkind, but he’s so unattractive it’s unbelievable.”

“Did you see the picture of him in his pajamas next to this Playboy bunny?” she continued, referring to the picture of Farenthold that can be seen below.

The mic went dead shortly after, according to the Post.

In a statement to TIME, Sen. Collins said that “Neither weapons nor inappropriate words are the right way to resolve legislative disputes. I received a handwritten apology from Rep. Farenthold late this morning. I accept his apology, and I offer him mine.”

 

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