USA Today reports:
Two lawmakers got into a scuffle on the House floor Friday when a Democratic lawmaker defied demands to stop playing audio of crying immigrant children separated from their parents during a speech in the House chamber.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., started his remarks by saying “if the Statue of Liberty could cry, she would be crying today. As I stand here there are 2,300 babies and kids who are ripped away from their parents by our government and are in detention facilities across America.”
The heart-wrenching audio played for nearly 40 seconds before Rep. Karen Handel, R-Ga., who was sitting the speaker’s chair presiding over the floor, called on Lieu to suspend his speaking. Handel said Lieu was “in breach of quorum.” “The gentleman will suspend,” Handel repeated as she banged her gavel. Lieu repeated: “I think the American people need to hear this.”
Ted Lieu plays the ProPublica audio of crying children in detention centers on the House floor.
Karen Handel, who was presiding over the floor, repeatedly tries to stop Lieu.
Lieu responds: “Why are we hiding this from the American people?” (via CSPAN)pic.twitter.com/NW2emIPFdb
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 22, 2018
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) on House floor played audio from child detention facility. Told by presiding officer Karen Handel (R-GA) it violated House rules (“The sergeant-at-arms will enforce the rules of decorum”), Lieu yielded after about 4.5 minutes. Video:https://t.co/J2NdPefrH9 pic.twitter.com/8rzFwPGEV8
— Greg Giroux (@greggiroux) June 22, 2018
The rule used to shut down Ted Lieu’s playing of the audio of children crying after they were taken from their parents is Rule XVII, governing the decorum of the House.
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) June 22, 2018
HAPPENING NOW: Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) is playing audio of children crying in the detention facility on the House floor. Asked to stop playing the audio since the House rules considered it out of line, Lieu stressed that the American people needed to hear this audio.
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaNBCNews) June 22, 2018
Please explain what’s courageous about calling the Sergeant At Arms to remove Congressman Lieu from playing audio recordings of the horror the US Government is inflicting on children.
— Aaron Sylvester (@RockyMtnSly) June 22, 2018