The Senate hearing Monday was supposed to focus on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, but many Republican senators didn't feel like talking about that.
Instead, they often focussed on why information about potential Russian interference kept leaking to news outlets.
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy wanted to know, for example, whether former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper — who testified alongside former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates — had ever leaked information to the press.
Clapper said he hasn't knowingly done so, then Kennedy tried to clarify.
"Classified or unclassified?" Kennedy asked.
"Well uh, unclassified is not — is not leaking," Clapper said.
The room, as you can hear in the video, burst into laughter, as did the twittersphere.
James Clapbacker
— Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) May 8, 2017
Kennedy: Did you leak unclassified information?
Clapper: *looks into the camera*— Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) May 8, 2017
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: Have you ever leaked classified or unclassified information?
JAMES CLAPPER: Unclassified is not leaking.
ROOM: LOL— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) May 8, 2017
Kennedy has a law degree from the University of Virginia, but, hey, we all can't be prepared for work 100 percent of the time.
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