Nevada's Jacky Rosen Accuses Senator of Stalking Staff for Car Information
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) accused Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) of stalking her staff to collect vehicle information during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Incident Overview
During the hearing for transportation nominees, Moreno revealed he had collected the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) of cars belonging to his Democratic colleagues.
"Would it surprise you that I got the VIN numbers of every one of my Democrat colleagues' vehicles and found that none of them bought any of the additional safety technologies on their cars?" — Bernie Moreno
Ryan McCormack, a nominee questioned about vehicle safety features, confirmed he was unaware of this.
"I did not know that, Senator." — Ryan McCormack
Moreno challenged the practice of opposing mandatory safety technology by highlighting personal car-buying choices.
"So, when you are actually shopping for a car with your own money, you don't buy the technology, but we're sitting here saying that this should be mandated for everybody else's cars." — Bernie Moreno
Privacy Concerns Raised by Rosen
Rosen requested unanimous consent to investigate how Moreno obtained the VINs, labeling it an invasion of privacy.
Moreno replied that VINs are publicly visible on windshields or driver's side doors of cars.
When Rosen questioned if Moreno had inspected her personal car in Las Vegas, Moreno asked if she even used a car in Washington D.C.
Rosen responded that the car in question belonged to her staff.
Summary
This incident highlights concerns over privacy boundaries and the ethics of collecting personal vehicle information within the Senate.
Author's summary: Senator Rosen accused Senator Moreno of privacy violation after he collected vehicle data from her staff’s cars during a Senate hearing, sparking debate over personal boundaries.