A Republican representative was lambasted on social media Tuesday for appearing to confuse Donald Trump’s reference to a ‘kangaroo court’ to the decades-old show Captain Kangaroo.
Matt Gaetz accused Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of lying about some details surrounding recent revelations of a whistle-blower alleging the president engaged in an inappropriate call with his Ukrainian counterpart.
‘What we see in this impeachment is a kangaroo court and Chairman Schiff is acting like a malicious Captain Kangaroo,’ Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
Captain Kangaroo was a children’s television series that ran on CBS from 1955-1984.
The show had a loose structure, but was built around life in the ‘Treasure House’ where the Captain Kangaroo – name for the big pockets in his coat – would tell stories, meet guests and engage with recurring human and puppet characters.
A so-called kangaroo court, on the other hand, is a court characterized by irresponsible or irregular procedures where usually the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (center) was ridiculed on social media after appearing to believe the term ‘kangaroo court’ was somehow linked to the children’s TV show Captain Kangaroo
He claimed that Adam Schiff, who is leadings the hearings around the impeachment inquiry, is a ‘malicious Captain Kangaroo’
A former Daily Beast reporter wrote that Gaetz is an ‘incredible idiot’
A Time opinion writer said Gaetz should be disbarred for thinking this
A former CIA officer reference another character from the kids’ TV show, claiming Mr. Green Jeans is even more ‘malicious’ than Captain Kangaroo
A Washington Post reporter patronized Gaetz, claiming that it was actually Marshall of the Kangaroo Court who presides over a ‘kangaroo court’ and not Captain Kangaroo
‘This incredible idiot thinks that the term ‘kangaroo court’ comes from the TV show Captain Kangaroo,’ former Daily Beast reporter Timothy Burke posted to Twitter, along with a video of Gaetz’s comments.
Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel patronized Gaetz, writing on Twitter: ‘Gaetz is incorrect: It is the Marshall of the Kangaroo Court, not the Captain, who presides over trials.’
‘If Gaetz thinks Captain Kangaroo is malicious, wait until he meets Mr. Green Jeans,’ a former CIA officer – and current podcast host – wrote, referencing character Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh ‘Lumpy’ Brannum.
An opinion writer for Time said that Gaetz’s ability to practice law should be stripped since he doesn’t know the difference between the children’s TV show and the vernacular used to describe a haywire courtroom.
‘Does Congressman Gaetz think the phrase ‘kangaroo court’ came from Captain Kangaroo? That alone should qualify for disbarment,’ Christopher Hale tweeted.
Gaetz was invoking rhetoric used by Trump earlier in the day, when the president said he wasn’t going to allow U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testify before Democratc-led committees he claimed were conducting unfair practices.
‘I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public to see,’ Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.
The president is referencing the Intelligence Committee’s questioning of former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker last week.
Gaetz was invoking Donald Trump’s rhetoric – when the president referred to the Democratic inquiry as a kangaroo court
Captain Kangaroo was a children’s show that ran on CBS from 1955-1984
Here Captain Kangaroo (right), played by Bob Keeshan, can be seen with supporting character Mr. Green Jeans (left), played by Hugh Brannum
Volker, who resigned after Congress called him to testify, gave a deposition to panel members in a closed-door session, which at times was chaired by President Trump’s nemesis, California Representative Adam Schiff.
Republicans protested ahead of the hearing that they were not being given the same amount of time as Democrats were to question Volker.
‘We would sure like to see the Volker testimony released before we continue the depositions and transcribed interviews,’ Gaetz said, joined alongside by fellow Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Lee Zeldin and Scott Perry.
‘We would like to unpack the last set of Schiff lies regarding the Volker testimony before we go to the next set of Schiff lies on Sondland or any further witnesses,’ the Trump-ally continued.
Volker’s testimony, and the committee’s desire to question Soundland, come after a whislte-blower revealed Trump pressured his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Revelations of the July 25 phone call led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to announce the lower chamber was launching an impeachment inquiry into the president.
Trump maintains that his talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was ‘perfect’ and says it is his duty to weed out corruption – which he says the Bidens were involved with in Ukraine.
Soundland was scheduled to voluntarily appear for a deposition at the House of Representatives Tuesday morning, but was instructed by the State Department not to show up.
As a State Department employee, Soundland had to comply with the instructions, his attorney said.
Now House Democrats will subpoena Ambassador Sondland to testify in their impeachment inquiry.
‘We consider this interference to be obstruction of the impeachment inquiry. We will be issuing a subpoena to Ambassador Sondland for both his testimony and documents,’ Schiff, as well as Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings and Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engle, said in a joint statement Tuesday afternoon.