--- 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: 2026-04-13T07:58:52.367Z 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: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Rachel E. Greenspan](https://time.com/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan May 2, 2019 2:14 PM UTC  Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., left, laughs with Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., right, after Cohen arrived with a bucked of fried chicken and a prop chicken as Attorney General William Barr will not appear before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2019. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., left, laughs with Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., right, after Cohen arrived with a bucked of fried chicken and a prop chicken as Attorney General William Barr will not appear before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2019. Andrew Harnik—AP 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":"2026-04-13T07:58:52.367Z","description":"Rep. 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