E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
A usually mundane congressional proceeding drifted into testy turf when a prominent Republican colleague accused a Democratic colleague of drunkenness during official proceedings.
A late-night meeting of the House Rules Committee to conduct what's known as a "mark-up" — a prolonged session of technical fixes to a piece of legislation — contained unexpected fireworks on Wednesday evening. Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican who heads the House GOP's campaign efforts, accused Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern (D) of drinking on the job.
“I think we've gotten this that Mr. McGovern is not happy,” Sessions said to McGovern, borne of frustration at the repeated amendments offered by McGovern to the National Defense Authorization Act.
“I think this is also behavior, um, that I wonder if people have been out drinking tonight or whether they are mad or angry or incapable of controlling themselves. And I would question that tonight.”
McGovern took issue with the remarks, and hit back at Sessions.
“I would say to the gentleman that, you know, there are some issues worth fighting over, and for me ending this war is one of them,” McGovern said referring to the war in Afghanistan, “I'm sorry that the gentleman doesn't think that that — take that very seriously.” Sessions quickly responded, saying, “Simple asking a question, if the shoe fits.”
View video of the hearing here
The interaction came in the seventh hour of a hearing that ended just before midnight, eight and a half hours after it started. During that hearing, 241 amendments were submitted for the defense bill, 142 of which were approved to move on to a full vote in the House. Rules Committee Hearings typically showcase frustration from the minority side, as the majority has control over what amendments are subsequently voted on by the full House or Representatives.
According to McGovern’s office, the congressman had not been drinking and Sessions called to apologize the next morning. Sessions pushed back to reporters late Thursday, saying that he spoke to McGovern that morning, but failed to confirm that he apologized for the remarks.
“I don’t know what there is to apologize about,” Sessions told reporters, “I mean, I’m not trying to say, ‘No, I didn’t apologize to him,’ that was not the discussion.”
Sessions said he hasn’t seen the tape of the late night exchange, but when reminded by reporters that he had intimated that McGovern had been drinking, he denied it. “No I did not [suggest that he was drinking],” Sessions said, “I’m not trying to intimate anything, I’m trying to say Jim was having a tough night and I’m sorry he did.”
The exchange comes as House Democrats are speaking out against the Republican’s exclusion of an amendment McGovern had submitted during the hearing, which was rejected by the Republican majority on the Rules Committee. Both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) spoke out on the House floor against the decision, with Hoyer saying the amendment’s exclusion was “unworthy of the Rules Committee.”
"I’m rarely surprised around here,” Pelosi said on the House floor, “ I was surprised that that discussion could not take place on this floor in the form of approving that amendment.”
Leave a Comment:
After listening to the uneducated moron Krugman talking about how the GOP is trying to destroy Americas credit rating I almost threw up! Here is one stupid liberal idiot who does not possess one once of common sense. Where do these morons get their educational degree out of a box of cracker jacks! I continue to see these idiots make stupid statments on how to improve our economic condition and they all want to raise taxes and increase spending! How much debt due these morons want to create??? How about three hundred trillion, you stupid imebeciles.
an alcoholic is somebody you dislike that drinks as much as you do!
Hey if I have to spend 90% of my time fund-raising, and going through the never-ending B.S. of water-down legislations which at the end solves no problem, I'd drink too.
We do not have to take this crap of you who make this up about a good Democratic Congressman. It will not be long now until those of us who receive government assistance will out number those of you who work. Then we will control all elections. Then those of us who can not work or just don't want to, can get even more help from the government.
Well Bobby, I'm just sitting here scratching my head trying to figure if you are unable to work or just a partisan hack. Step up to the plate and be a man or take your problem to your psychiatrist.
A good democratic congressman? Rara avis.
If I had to work with House Teapublicans I'd be on crack, so kudos to the guy for showing restraint
So what if the democratic senators drink on the job, the republican senators arrive to the office in the morning ALREADY drunk.
“No I did not [suggest that he was drinking],” Sessions said, “I’m not trying to intimate anything, I’m trying to say Jim was having a tough night and I’m sorry he did.”
BULLCHIT
Booman then concludes with:
Of course, since that time…
Because he sold the country down the river (The East River, the UN), attacked Christianity, shoved a very socialist, expensive, ineffectual health care plan down our unwilling throats, spends public money on political expenses, maintains an air of secrecy he is not entitled to, takes too many vacations, bumbles around foreign counterparts, wants to add to the dole in an attempt to buy votes, wants to flood the country with illegal criminals again to add to the vote, is divisive, uses class warfare and rioting in the street as an election ploy and probably is not legally entitled to the office anyway for starters. And stop calling those who don't agree with your biased assertions names.
Oh I forgot how he's left Israel out on a limb, too. I hope my friends in FL, NY, IL and CA don't forget...
Oh really ??? why don't you question where your taxes have gone during the bush years ??? How about your taxes funding your insane military machine that does nothing good for you except for weapons dealers and companies like halliburton that become rich on killing innocent people.... Your taxes should fund your health care system, because health care is a right and not a privilege, your taxes should fund your ran down infrastructures, fund your education system and give free college education to all !!!! This is where our taxes are going in europe ! So who is the smart ones ?? You are a dumb american and you deserve everything you got which is living in a disfunctional, inhumain, ethically and morally bankrupt society !
ANOTHER LIE FROM A REPUBLICAN ! Is anyone surprised ?? they must be pretty desesperate.
Americans need to throw all these right wing morons out of politics ! they are mentally, intellectually and ethically bankrupt ! They are the true terrorists and cancer that has done so much evil in the world.
You have a wonderful president, you people, better keep him !
Obama 2012 !
To create social programs is the mark of modernity... it is not socialism, it is good common sense !!!! this is what differanciate us with 3rd world countries and if you cannot understand that, you are stupidly stubborn ! capitalism has served you so well hasn't it ?? it is no better than communism, you fool !
social programs are needed if you want a large middle class, why can't you understand that ??? Taxes were made to better the lives of a society and without them, your country will become just like a 3rd world country !
I'm just like, soooooo done with these jokers in Washington.
this is great, 1 rich white guy pointing the finger at another rich white guy
from what ive heard about dealing with these 535 nitwits in congress im amazed they dont hand out a bottle to everyone of them at the door to every session. considering some of the crap they have passed or refused to pass recently i would have guessed that they had to have been drunk at every session
Our congress persons are supposed to be representing we citizens 24 hours per day. Anyone that drinks at all is drinking on the job.
I'd take up drinking too if I had to deal with Republicans all day long. They're wrapped so tight they can't even pass gas.
I think I'll go get a drink.
I rather clearly remember sitting around the family dinner table about fifty years ago and listening to my father rail about the seemingly endless rounds of amendments that serve little purpose except to guarantee that a given piece of legislation will or will not fail. He said then, and it's no less true today, that a bill ought to stand on its own merits without amendment; if it fails, send it back for rework or abandon it, but endless amendments and riders do NOT serve We the People.
If a piece of legislation is important enough for Congress to act on it in the first place, it ought to be its own piece of sponsored legislation. If it isn't important enough to be a sponsored piece of legislation, why the heck is Congress bothering with it in the first place?
One might reasonably think that since the Constitution specifically mentions two pieces of legislation that Congress has to take up, they'd get busy on one or the other. These two are, or course, the budget (duh!), and articles of impeachment - both are long overdue in this administration.
Like the Reupubs don't? Seriously? Yawn.
:))))))))))))))))
Session, give it up. You need to apologize for your lack of professionalism. The GOP will probably lead tomorrow's news with "an attack on war". I'm not surprised that the GOP blocked this amendment since they object to everything anyway.
This the third time that Sessions made a comment implying that a person who is Irish must be drinking or drunk.
Jim was having a bad night? I think dragging his fat head around has confused Mr. Sessions. On the other hand, these Republicans have made it a point of pride to denigrate our public institutions in the crudest ways possible, so perhaps that was his real intent.
Maybe if the members of congress would sit around and discuss things over a few beers things would go better. Isn't that what Regan and Tip O'Neil did?
All these pols, GOP Or Dem, drink, whore around, and steal from the fund. Come to think of it, sounds like a pretty good gig. How do I get in on this?
Im not rich but I AM BETTER OFF THAN I WAS 4 YEARS AGO. I thank the President for being a leader and getting some important issues done. The conspiracy theory believing RNC/Fox News types will never get it. They just want to hate him. Just like they did with Clinton. They are UNAMERICAN for being such obstructionists.
What would the comments be if it were a Republican drinking on the job???
Wait, is it illegal for lawmakers to drink on the job? I never saw a single video or heard anything spoken by Ted Kennedy when he wasn't wasted. Is this a new law?