'I'm in charge!' Lindsey Graham snaps as sanctuary cities hearing veers off track

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) scolded his Republican colleague, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), after he attacked Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) without giving him a chance to respond.

During a Tuesday Senate Banking Committee hearing on sanctuary cities, Moreno mocked the Democratic witnesses after they declined to approve of a law that obstructed legal immigration.

"You're a smug guy, and that's part of your schick," Moreno told one witness before turning to Merkley. "This is the best the Democrats can come up with, Mr.Chairman. I hope the ranking member can listen for just a second, if you don't mind. This is the best witnesses you've got? A guy who can't distinguish whether it's okay to have people enter our country illegally. Of all the millions of people that you could have chosen to testify."

Merkley tried to respond, but Moreno refused to let him talk.

"The best you have is a guy who has no idea what our immigration law is and isn't sure," he said.

"Maybe stick to the facts instead of badgering the witnesses," Merkley advised.

"Well, why don't you do this once you speak when it's your turn?" Moreno asked.

"Because actually you're addressing me, so I'm addressing you back because here you're looking right at me," the Oregon Democrat explained.

"People can't speak out of turn, but it's okay with you that people enter our country and skip the turn," Moreno quipped.

"Not only you're attacking witnesses, now you're attacking your colleagues here on the dais!" Merkley exclaimed.

"Wait a minute. I'm in charge!" Graham shouted. "You ask him a question. He'll get a chance to answer that question."

Merkley reminded Moreno that Republicans had derailed a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013.

"So I just think it would be more productive if we quit casting aspersions across the aisle and go back to the philosophy of 2013 and work together to actually get a bill done," he said.