Perry and Franken share laugh after ‘you were fun … on your couch’ comment

by Devin Henry - 01/19/17 12:22 PM ET

"Well, I think we found our 'Saturday Night Live' soundbite," Rick Perry laughs during Al Franken's questioning at confirmation hearing pic.twitter.com/aIIDmtHJvy

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 19, 2017

Rick Perry and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) shared a bipartisan moment of laughter at Perry’s confirmation hearing Thursday after an awkward turn of phrase.

Frankel began his questioning of Perry, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Energy secretary, at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing by noting he met with Perry in his office earlier.

When Franken asked if Perry enjoyed their earlier meeting, the former Texas governor replied: “I hope you are as fun on the dais as you were on your couch.”

{mosads}Senators and the audience in the committee room let the statement sink in before laughing.

Perry asked, “May I rephrase that?” to which Franken replied, “please, please. Oh my lord.”

“I think we found our Saturday Night Live soundbite,” Perry said as lawmakers and onlookers tried to stifle laughter.

Franken went on to ask Perry for his opinion on climate change, noting Perry’s past skepticism of the science behind it.

“It seems to me the science on climate change is pretty definitive,” Franken said, noting the growing wind energy industry in Perry’s home state of Texas.

“I don’t want this idea of the economy and addressing climate change are at odds at all. As you saw in your state, people stay in your communities that have wind. Those towers are big, they’re tall. Only young people can go up those towers. They keep young people in your community.”

Tags Al Franken Donald Trump