Braun rips Cardona over statement that parents who oppose vax mandates are just mad 'their guy didn't win'

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for September 30

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., took aim at Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for controversial comments Cardona made about parents voicing their frustrations at school board meetings.

"I was a little disturbed, and I want to see if you really meant the comment. And it was in relation to … ‘Why are they doing this?' And I'm going to quote this your response for that engagement was, ‘I think it's a proxy for being mad that their guy didn't win.'" the Indiana Republican told Cardona during a hearing Wednesday. 

"And I know you probably didn't mean that, and I'll give you a chance to retract it," Braun said. "Is that something you'd want to take back?"

Cardona responded by touting school boards’ commitment to returning students to classrooms but did not directly address the statement Braun was referring to.

"What about the statement? And I agree with you 100% there, but would you want to take that back … not politicize something where I think it's an honest and sincere difference of opinion across the country, and I don't know that I'd want to be on record with that," Braun pressed. 

Cardona again declined to directly address the comments.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

"I’ll take it that you don’t want to retract it at this point," Braun said, visibly frustrated. 

Cardona's comments were publicized in a Business Insider story in which the education secretary shared his thoughts on mask mandates and critical race theory.