Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday that his colleague Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) needs "a little more seasoning and experience" as Senate minority leader.
Cotton's comments came after Senate Democrats delayed a Friday night vote to confirm Rep. Mike Pompeo as President Trump's CIA director.
"We all thought he had made a commitment to us that we would vote on Mike Pompeo's nomination on Friday," Cotton told Hewitt. "I guess he hadn't taken the temperature of the Democratic Caucus, though, so that was unfortunate."
Democrats' decision to delay the confirmation on Friday prompted a heated exchange between the newly appointed minority leader and the senator from Arkansas. Cotton reportedly confronted Schumer on the Senate floor Friday night after it became apparent that Democrats were going to delay the vote on Pompeo's nomination, breaking a prior promise to do so.
During the confrontation, Schumer asked Cotton to lower his voice and asked that they have the conversation off of the Senate floor. Schumer then reminded Cotton that former President Obama's first CIA director was not confirmed on the first day of his presidency and that Senate Republicans at the time tried to delay the nomination.
"Eight years ago, I was getting my ass shot at in Afghanistan. So don't talk to me about where I was eight years ago," Cotton responded.
In Cotton's interview with Hewitt, he said that he hopes with Schumer having more time as leader Republicans will "be able to rely more on what Sen. Schumer says when we get a commitment from him."
"Sen. Schumer is still in his first month of leadership, so maybe as he gets a little more seasoning and experience, this won't happen again," Cotton said, referring to the tactics employed by Schumer on Pompeo's confirmation.
Pompeo was eventually confirmed by the Senate on Monday by a vote of 66-32, with Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) recording the only no vote amongst Senate Republicans.