Rep to IRS Official: Pal Around With the Devil Much?

Just because the government is in shutdown mode doesn't mean Congress isn't taking care of pressing matters. See this exchange picked up by Mediaite between Rep. Gerald Connolly and Sarah Ingram Hall of the IRS yesterday. (Spoiler alert: Democrat Connolly is actually taking aim at Darrell Issa's investigation into the IRS via the House Oversight Committee.)

• Connolly: “Let’s get things out of the way. Have you ever read The Crucible by Arthur Miller? ... What is it about?”
• Hall: "Well, I’m from New England so I’m familiar with the original story. It’s about the Salem witch trial."
• Connolly: "You’re under oath. Have you been consorting with the devil?"
• Hall: "Not to my knowledge, sir."
• Connolly: "Are reports that you can fly accurate?"
• Hall: "Uh, greatly exaggerated, sir."

And so on. Hall used to be in charge of the IRS division that put extra scrutiny on conservative groups. She's now in charge of the Affordable Care Act Office. As for the shutdown and impasse over the debt ceiling, signs of a thaw are emerging. (More Gerald Connolly stories.)