Sen. John Kennedy attacks Arab-American advocate: 'You should hide your head in a bag'

Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy baselessly accused a leading Arab-American civil rights advocate of supporting terrorists during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

The Republican took aim at Maya Berry, the executive director of the nonpartisan Arab American Institute. Questioning whether Berry supports Hamas and Hezbollah, Kennedy told her: "You should hide your head in a bag."

Berry was in Congress on Tuesday to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on stemming hate crimes against marginalized groups. She did not let Kennedy's accusations go unanswered.

“Senator, oddly enough, I’m going to say thank you for that question, because it demonstrates the purpose of our hearing today,” Berry said. “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support. But you ask the executive director of the Arab American Institute that question very much puts the focus on the issue of hate in our country.”

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Here's what else happened.

U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asks questions at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2023.
U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asks questions at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2023.

Sen. John Kennedy gets agitated

Kennedy became agitated as he questioned Berry.

“You support Hamas, don't you? You support UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) and Hamas, don’t you?” Kennedy said before his microphone was cut off.

As Berry tried to answer Kennedy’s original accusation, the senator continued to interrupt her and finished by saying:

“You can't bring yourself to say you don’t support UNRWA, you don't support Hamas, you don't support Hezbollah, and you don't support Iran," he said. "You should hide your head in a bag."

Berry had repeatedly denied supporting terrorism groups and said Kennedy's questions were "extraordinarily disappointing."

The senator was cut off by the chair of the committee, Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin. Various members of the audience loudly reacted to Kennedy's comments.

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Berry was the only Muslim witness at the hearing about hate crimes.

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 8, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The hearing was focused on combating the rise in hate crimes.
Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 8, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The hearing was focused on combating the rise in hate crimes.

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​​Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. John Kennedy accuses Arab-American leader of supporting terrorism