Democrat rebuked on House floor for remarks about Trump ‘sex scandal’ case

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) was reprimanded on the House floor Wednesday after he made remarks deemed “offensive” while speaking out about former President Trump’s ongoing hush money trial.

The altercation, which halted House deliberations for more than an hour, began when, during a debate over procedural rules, McGovern explicitly outlined Trump’s current legal troubles, referencing the hush money case and allegations that Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“The presumptive nominee for president is facing 88 felony charges and we can’t even acknowledge that,” said McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. “These are not alternative facts, these are the real facts.”

“A U.S. presidential candidate is on trial for allegedly sending hush money to a porn star during his 2016 campaign to avoid a sex scandal and fraudulently disguising the payments in violation of the law,” he said. continued. “He is also charged with conspiracy to overturn an election. He is also charged with stealing classified information, and a jury has already found him guilty of rape in civil court.”

McGovern added: “And yet, in this Republican-controlled House, you can talk about the trial, but you have to call it a sham.”

A jury in May 2023 found that Trump sexually abused author E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and then defamed her by denying her allegations, but jurors did not find that he committed rape.

Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Indiana), who was leading the Republican debate on the rules, interrupted McGovern and twice asked him to remove his remarks.

“Mr. Chairman, I request that he withdraw his remarks,” Ho Ching said.

Rep. Jerry Kahl (R-Ala.), who was presiding over the chamber at the time, asked McGovern to sit down, and the chamber then stalemate for a long time, with each person deciding how to proceed with Houchin’s demands. Decided.

More than an hour later, Judge Kahl deemed McGovern’s comments “offensive” and ordered them deleted, stating that potential presidential candidates should be treated the same as sitting presidents under debate etiquette rules. It concluded that it was “inappropriate” to allege that the potential Republican candidate had committed any illegal acts.

“Debate comments may include criticism of a candidate’s public positions, but referring to a candidate in terms that personally attack him, whether through actual censure or mere insult, is an offense,” Kahl said after a pause. “The perception that the president has committed a crime or that the president has engaged in illegal conduct is an offense.”

The Speaker’s ruling prohibits McGovern from speaking on the House floor for the remainder of today.

“They can get away with it, they can characterize the trial as a sham, that the judge is corrupt and the jury is rigged, and that’s totally fine, even if they say that. I will not be reprimanded. And everything I said is true, not my characterization…I did not say he committed any sin.” It is hard to believe. McGovern spoke immediately after the incident.

“I’m sure it got on people’s nerves. They tried to delete what I said, effectively canceling me or trying to silence me for the rest of the day,” he added.

“I haven’t said anything that I regret,” he told reporters.

The ruling is unusual and could set an important precedent in the House of Representatives, where future statements about ongoing legal proceedings may be stricken from the record.

Some Democrats quickly criticized the conclusion and questioned why McGovern’s comments detailing President Trump’s ongoing legal proceedings were removed.

“So, does that mean facts cannot now be spoken on the House floor?” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) wrote. Social platform.

Mr McGovern said Mr Houchin’s actions were “foolish” because they “actually amplify what I’m saying”.

“It’s clear they’re very afraid of Trump,” he later added. “You know, they all have a cult-like devotion to him and cannot tolerate anyone saying anything that could be considered negative about him on the floor of the House of Representatives.”

Philip Timothyia contributed.

Updated 3:24 p.m.