republicans' effort to whitewash their own party's failures. that's strategy number one, the boycott strategy. strategy number two, i like to think of as the elijah cummings strategy. this is the one where you decide to show up, knowing that you have no real power in the room, other than give the other side a chance to make themselves look terrible. and when it works, it works like this. >> ladies and gentlemen, seeking the truth is the obligation of this committee. i can see no point in going further. i have no expectation that miss learner will cooperate with this we and therefore, we -- >> chairman, chairman, i have a statement. i have a procedural question, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i have a procedural question. mr. chairman, you cannot run a committee like this. you just cannot do this? we're better than that as a country, we're better than that as a committee. i have asked for a few minutes