‘I was not at a party’: Marco Rubio reportedly clashes with Democratic senators over his whereabouts during Pakistan talks at a budget hearing

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly pushed back firmly against Democratic senators during a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. According to The Sun, he flatly denied claims that he had skipped important Iran peace negotiations in Pakistan to attend a party with President Donald Trump.

The hearing focused on the State Department’s budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, per The Sun. It soon appeared to turn into a series of heated exchanges as Rubio defended the current administration’s foreign policy.

The tension supposedly reached its highest point when Senator Jacky Rosen reportedly told Rubio she was shocked by reports that he was at a party with the President in Miami. She said he had been there instead of joining Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan.

Rubio details his role during the Pakistan negotiations

As per The Sun, Rubio immediately interrupted and demanded to know what party she was talking about. When Rosen said it had been publicly reported and mentioned photos, Rubio rejected the claim. “What party was I at? I was at a party?” Rubio asked. 

He reportedly told the committee that the claim was an absurd statement and insisted he was not at a party. “If people are going to slander me, I’m gonna answer,” he said. Rubio explained that he was with the President so he could give immediate updates on the situation in Pakistan. He said that on that evening, he spoke with the negotiating team, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, at least six times, and used a secure line twice.

Rubio apparently expressed his frustration with the questions, telling Rosen that her staff had likely written a cute statement for TikTok that simply was not true. He explained that the team on the ground in Pakistan was led by the Vice President. 

According to the report, Rubio said his own role as both national security adviser and secretary of state required him to stay close to the President. “I was co-located with the president in the midst of a high stakes negotiation so that I could immediately inform him about events occurring halfway around the world.”

The exchange reportedly did not end with Rosen. Rubio also sparred with Senator Cory Booker about Iran’s oil sales and the state of the government in Tehran, states The Sun. Booker, who has signaled growing Republican pushback against Trump, reportedly said Iran had earned between $10 billion and $50 billion from oil sales. Rubio apparently disagreed, arguing that the regime is actually losing hundreds of millions of dollars per day because of the current blockade.

When Booker suggested the administration was supposedly begging for a deal similar to the Obama-era nuclear agreement, Rubio quickly responded. “There’s no begging. No one’s begging.” He maintained that Iran is under heavy pressure and reportedly argued that the regime is weaker than ever.

Rubio also apparently clashed with Senator Tammy Duckworth after she criticized the administration and tried to give back her time without letting him respond. Rubio insisted on his right to address her comments and pointed to the administration’s success in securing a peace deal in Azerbaijan, according to The Sun. 

“When do I get to talk here? Do I get to talk?” he asked before the committee chair allowed him to continue. He apparently ended his defense by highlighting the administration’s wider diplomatic efforts, noting that they had ended the India-Pakistan War, work that has also included a high-profile visit to India.