Newt Gingrich Says Dems Are Out Of Their League Attempting To Joust With Trump’s ‘Brilliant’ Officials During Hearings

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich explained Wednesday that two recent clashes between Trump administration officials and congressional Democrats displayed how the Democratic party needs to “do their homework” before confronting Cabinet members during hearings.

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel had heated exchanges with Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania Wednesday during hearings held by the House Financial Services Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. Gingrich told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the exchanges made the Democratic representatives “look like fools.”

“President Trump picks brilliant people. They know what they are doing. They do their homework. They actually have achieved real things and they are up against a group of people who are lazy, out of touch with reality, don’t do their homework, and set themselves up to look like fools,” Gingrich said.

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“I think it’s a very unfair fight and I think that at some point those Democrats who are left, who are serious, are going to say to their colleagues, ‘You know, if you can’t do your homework, don’t do the hearing. Don’t put yourself up to be ridiculed,’” Gingrich continued. “I mean, Scott Bessent, who is clearly dramatically smarter than any Democrat on that panel, and Patel, who I’ve known for years, is not only smart, he’s really tough, I mean, a Democrat who wants to pick a fight with Kash Patel is a person who needs counseling.”

Bessent triggered a meltdown from Meeks when he quipped about former President Joe Biden’s mental capacity during the House Financial Services committee hearing. Questions about Biden’s age and health arose during his administration and the 2020 campaign, and a Wall Street Journal article published Dec. 19, 2024, revealed White House aides “insulated” Biden, even from Cabinet members, as his health declined.

Patel and Dean had a heated exchange during the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies hearing about the FBI’s fiscal year 2026 budget request. Patel accused Dean of using a question to stoke fundraising during the contentious exchange after she claimed, without evidence, that Patel committed perjury.

“If you watch all those patterns, these people are three or four steps slow,” Gingrich said. “I mean, it’s like watching a basketball game were on every pass it goes by them because they didn’t quite notice the ball was coming. So you really have a total mismatch. This goes on over and over again.”

“I mean, I’ve watched a number of the cabinet officers and the people they are up against, they’re not getting trained,” Gingrich said. “Their staffs are not doing a good job. They are not prepared. I don’t think they go through any kind of internal practice. They just show up and think, ‘Gosh, I’m an elected official, look how smart I will be.’ And then they just, as you just showed, they just embarrass themselves and remind the country that the Democratic Party has degenerated dramatically.”