Democrat reprimanded on House floor for comments on Trump ‘sex scandal’ case

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) received a reprimand on the House floor Wednesday after commenting on former President Trump’s ongoing trial, comments that were considered “offensive.”

The brawl — which paralyzed the House floor for more than an hour — began after McGovern, during debate over a procedural rule, described Trump’s current legal complications in no uncertain terms, mentioning the hush money case and allegations that he worked to overturn the 2020 election results.

“We have a presumptive presidential candidate facing 88 criminal charges and we are being blocked from even recognizing him,” said McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. These are real facts.”

“A US presidential candidate is on trial for sending a secret payment to a porn star to avoid a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign and then fraudulently disguising those payments in violation of the law,” he continued. accused of conspiring to annul the election. He is also accused of stealing confidential information, and a jury has previously found him responsible for rape in civil court.”

McGovern added: “And yet in this Republican-controlled House, it’s okay to talk about the trial, but it’s a sham.”

Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), who was managing the rules debate for Republicans, twice called for McGovern’s rules to be withdrawn, speaking over the Massachusetts Democrat as he continued his comments.

“Mr. President, I demand that your words be noted,” said Houchin.

Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), who presided over the chamber at the time, asked McGovern to sit down, and the chamber then went into an extended standstill, with individuals determining how to proceed with Houchin’s request.

More than an hour later, Carl decided that McGovern’s words – which he considered “offensive” – ​​would be withdrawn, concluding that a supposed presidential candidate should receive the same treatment as a sitting president, under the rules of debate decorum, and that claiming that the presumptive Republican Party nominee did something illegal is “not in order.”

“While debate remarks may include criticism of such candidates’ official standing as candidates, it is a violation of order to refer to the candidate in personally offensive terms, whether by actually accusing or merely insulting,” Carl said after the break. “The assumption that the president committed a crime or even that the president did something illegal is not appropriate.”

The decision was extraordinary, setting a potentially significant precedent in the House where future comments about ongoing legal proceedings could be expunged from the record.

Some Democrats were quick to criticize the conclusion, questioning why McGovern’s comments — which laid out the facts of Trump’s ongoing lawsuits — were dismissed.

“So the facts can’t be said on the House floor now?” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) wrote on X.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story