Senate Democrats were left red-faced at a climate change hearing when their “expert witness” turned out to be anything but when confronted by veteran Sen. John Kennedy.
Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse invited Olympic skier Gus Schumacher to give his perspective as the committee considered the impact of climate change on the recreation industry.
But it was all downhill for the 23-year-old as he struggled to answer basic questions and couldn’t remember his tweets claiming the war on drugs was designed to imprison black people and calling for the abolition of the police.
The excruciating exchange continued with Schumacher insisting that carbon dioxide is a “large part of our atmosphere,” before Kennedy pointed out that it makes up 0.04 percent.
‘OK that’s fine. But if. “I don’t know,” the skier admitted.
Democrats invited US Olympic skier Gus Schumacher to the Budget Committee to answer questions on ‘Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs’
The 23-year-old said climate change has “dramatically altered the conditions for winter sports.”
Introducing the hearing, Senator Whitehouse praised the quality of the “highly credible witnesses” the committee had heard.
‘We’ve heard warnings from economists, scientists, medical professionals, insurance and investment executives, even a former Republican Senate majority leader. They warn of the danger that lies ahead.
But Schumacher faced danger as he tried to defend himself against Kennedy’s questioning, which began with a question about what carbon dioxide is.
‘I went to high school, but carbon dioxide is a gas,’ the skier told him
‘I’m not a professional to talk so much about carbon dioxide.
But Kennedy demanded an explanation of the gas’s role in climate change.
“Carbon dioxide is what I see as a gas that exists in our atmosphere,” Schumacher explained.
‘Is it an important part of our atmosphere?’ Kennedy asked innocently.
“It’s a big part of our atmosphere,” the skier insisted.
“It’s a very small part of our atmosphere,” the senator said.
‘OK that’s fine. But if. I don’t know. What specifically are you asking? Schumacher responded.
But the skier slipped when asked by Republican Senator John Kennedy.
The University of Alaska student won triple gold at the World Junior Championships and represented the United States in cross-country skiing at the last Winter Olympics.
The commentary on his performance on the committee was relentless on social media.
“You said we need to reduce carbon emissions,” Kennedy reminded him. “First I’d like to know if you know what it is.”
Schumacher, who competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, insisted he had seen “climate change dramatically alter the conditions for winter sports” during his decade on the slopes.
And Kennedy was willing to put his expertise to the test on other issues he had weighed in on, including a 2020 retweet that claimed “the war on drugs was intentionally created to incarcerate black people en masse.”
‘Who intentionally created the ‘war on drugs’ to imprison black people?’ Kennedy demanded.
Schumacher said he did not remember the tweet, adding: “I am here as an athlete telling you my story of what I have seen in my field.”
The senator then asked about a tweet calling for the police to be “abolished” and replaced with a new service.
—Do you think we should abolish the police? -Kennedy asked. ‘Should we do that before or after we get rid of fossil fuels?’
“I’m not going to address that,” the skier responded.
Footage of the exchange left viewers baffled as to why he had been invited, with some suggesting he should stick to what he knows.
“I just like playing in the snow and I noticed the snow wasn’t so snowy anymore,” one tweeted.
“It’s sad that this guy went to the Senate to talk about carbon dioxide and its effects on the environment and he has no idea,” another added.
‘He thought it would be fun to advise the Senate on an important issue. That fun ended with Senator John Kennedy,” wrote a third.
Schumacher (right) was invited to speak by Democratic Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (left) and appeared alongside Hilary Hutcheson, a fishing guide and outfitter from Montana.
And the young skier seemed unfazed by the attack at the hands of the veteran senator.
Schumacher deleted the X account that the senator cited in Wednesday’s hearing.
And although some compared him to Fast Times’ goofball surfer Jeff Spicoli at Ridgemount High, the young Alaskan didn’t seem fazed by his beating at the hands of the Republican senator, insisting it had been a “great honor.”
‘I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’m using my platform to raise the issue!’ he wrote on Facebook.
“I hope my testimony has had an impact on public officials who make political decisions.”