Facepalm: Congressman confuses US officials for Indian diplomats

A freshman Republican Congressmen mistook two senior US official for representatives of India during a hearing on Friday, US media reported.

"I am familiar with your country, I love your country," Florida Congressmember Curt Clawson, who was sworn in last month, tells high-ranking US officials Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar in an exchange which was captured on YouTube, 

“Just as your capital is welcome here to produce good-paying jobs in the U.S., I’d like our capital to be welcome there,” he tells Biswal and Kumar.

“I ask cooperation and commitment and priority from your government in so doing. Can I have that?” he says.

After a lingering silence, Kumar appears to grin, while Biswal tells Clawson that she agree with Clawson’s sentiment, informing him it should probably be "directed to the Indian government".

It’s unclear from his expression whether Clawson, a former basketball player, realises his error.

Nisha Biswal serves as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, while Arun Kumar is Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial ​Service.

Both were introduced as U.S. officials before testifying before the House Asia and Pacific subcommittee, according to Foreign Policy.

Facebookers weighed in with a vengeance on Clawson's page:

 

Source: Time, Foreign Policy, YouTube, Facebook