Schumer goes 'nuts' when GOP senators try to discuss border crisis during classified briefing that descended into total chaos

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) allegedly lost his temper on Tuesday because Republican senators insisted top government officials discuss the border crisis.

According to reports, a classified briefing about Ukraine funding — led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Brown Jr. — became heated when Republican lawmakers began asking the officials direct questions about border security.

Schumer, however, immediately tried to stop such inquiries, demanding lawmakers speak only about Ukraine funding.

Schumer's posture only caused the meeting to descend further into chaos, which reportedly included an F-bomb from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Eventually, several Republicans exited the briefing prematurely, believing it was a waste of time not to discuss the border, according to Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

"People got up and walked out because this is a waste of time. … They just said, 'This isn't worth it. This is a joke. You're not serious about this. I'm going.' And I don't blame them," Cramer said after the briefing.

Cramer, moreover, told reporters that Schumer went "nuts" when he asked Gen. Brown to convince Democrats that border security is a critical problem that needs to be addressed.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said it was "the most heated briefing in the [sensitive compartmented information facility] I've seen."

For his part, Schumer claimed Republicans "hijacked" the briefing.

"It was immediately hijacked by Leader [Mitch] McConnell. The first question, instead of asking our panelists, he called on [Sen. James] Lankford to give a five-minute talk about the negotiations on border," Schumer said.

Schumer also accused Republicans of being "disrespectful" by "screaming" at Gen. Brown. Sources told CNN that it was Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) who got heated, but Cotton told CNN that he was directing his ire at Schumer.

At one point, Sen. Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, tried to calm tensions.

"Sen. King said, 'Hey, this may not have been the time that I want to discuss this, but it's an important topic. The president put it on the agenda with the supplemental having border funding. This is the only time we're all together, so it's totally legitimate for us to have that discussion,'" a GOP senator later told The Hill.

President Joe Biden has asked Congress to pass another supplemental spending bill that gives more aid to Ukraine and Israel. The cost of that bill is $106 billion, and more than $61 billion would go to Ukraine. Republicans, however, are reluctant to pass it unless Biden and Democrats agree to address domestic issues, too — like the border crisis.

Because of Schumer's behavior, Republican senators plan to block advancement of the supplemental package for the time being.

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