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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.”
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The biggest lush in Washington, D.C. is John Boehner. If they lit a match to the guy, he'd go up in flames.
How do you know that? I am not being critical but accusing someone of that is pretty serious.
Hey Eddie, get back in the welfare line and shut-up.
I was a member of my state's House of Representatives for ten years and I learned that a legislative body is usually pretty representative of the populace as a whole. If 3% of the populace is gay, it is probable that 3% of the legislature is gay; if 15% of the populace has a drinking problem, the same will be true for the legislature.
The most interesting thing I learned about my colleagues, though, was how accurate the 80-20 rule is. Whether it is your church, your club, your neighborhood or even your family reunion, 80% of the work will be done by 20% of the participants.
This was especially true in legislative bodies.
You don't know how right you are. And only 20% of the people (McGovern) voted for the stupid amendments and 80% voted against them. Usually even Ann Compton would say that's a sizeable majority. But MSNBC and the panty waste lefties here want to cry about a stupid drunk comment after 8 hrs of stupidity and waste of CSPAN electrons. Compare and contrast MSNBC coverage with this ridiculous story with oh, say, the Affordable Healthcare Act (egads, choke, choke, cough) amendments proposed by Repubics and quickly and mercilessly shot down by Stretch Pelosi (why the surprised look, Nancy?) and Harry "the body" Reid. Methinks there was a different "spin" on that one.
I really don't see how the article supports the headline. It could have said something about him accusing of him being 'mad' or 'angry' also. The commentary on here should be against the media vs the reps involved.
Headline: GOP lawmaker accuses Dem colleague of drinking on the job
Sen. Sessions referring to Sen. McGovern: ". . .I wonder if people have been out drinking tonight. . ."
Apparently you didn't read the whole quote. Often people use that analogy when they think someone is acting irrational.
He didn't say I smell alcohol on your breath, security check himout.
Rapper. you're correct that I didn't include the entire quote, just the part I thought relevant. You will notice that I used quotation marks with three little dots. Those dots are called an ellipsis which indicates that words have not been included. I didn't mean to imply that what I quoted was the entire quote of Senator Sessions as contained in the article.
I comprehend. What I am saying is that he was saying he was acting irrational not calling him a drunk. Per a prior post I said that actually the article says that OUR reps were actually working hard and putting a lot of time into something and I applaud both sides. I think after numerous hours of deliberations tempers were starting to flare. The media could've had a feel good headline like " Reps Work Late Into the Night: Tempers Flare".
And thus I don't think he actually accused him of drinking on the job. If he would've have said he smelled alcohol on him that would be different.
I always thought the idiots in Congress were either drunk or on drugs the way they attempt to do their jobs. One more or one less drunk on the job is not much news in Washington. From most of the news about our illustrious members of Congress, they have less morals than an alley cat. Fie on all those overpaid idiots who represent us part time and business full time.
Why is this news. Its not congress, its divorce court. I'm getting tired of the bull@!$%#.
What's the big deal, Obama himself said that his last 2 years of High School were a blurr and he drank beer excessively plus tried drugs with enthusiasm. And yet, the main stream media say nothing. However, Rommny may have been involved in some sort of hazing.....you lefty's are such phony's. I too am tried of the BS and it's only May.
JB in IL, you're a idiot.
Sessions must have thought that he was talking about Boehner. Now THERE is an alcoholic.
All jerks.
Throw the bums out.
Is it inappropriate to drink on any job? Yes. Does it demean the important job of being in Congress? Yes, but they all do that everyday. Does it impede on his duties as a member of Congress? Probably not.
Is it worth all of this blather and foaming at the mouth? Hardly. Censure him, admonish him to make sure it's Friday at 5 pm before he takes a celebratory drink, otherwise, move on people, there's nothing here to see.
He didn't accuse him of drinking on the job. He made a comment likenning him to drinking, acting irrational. The media is F'd up. Oh no, I called the whole media on drugs. This is an attention grabbing headline for the loser that wrote the article. What an ass, can't write a decent piece, so made up a story. Sucks cuz we try and trust that what they report is accurate.
I want to say, not a made up a story. Blown a story out of proportion for his own gain, though. Weird! If the rep would've said "It is late you're acting like an ass" what would've been the headline? They are lucky so many people respond like the responses on this, caught up in politics, instead of focussing on the actual meat of the article. The reporter should be getting slammed but, no, it is our elected government servants. This was an out of context bull@!$%# article by an amateur reporter that I will be skeptical anytime I see his name by any story.
Frank Thorp. What an idiot.
ha, ha,ha, old ram it up your ass pelosi. sqealing like the pig she is when the shoe's on the other foot. love it.
Politics sucks. Has no place in the real world. We (man) should be working together to better mankind, not worring about politics that breeds corruption and distain. Our country will continue to fall as long as we let politics run our lives. I say make your voice heard in nov. or quit crying about who's a dirty bastard and who isn't. Hint -They ALL are dirty and corrupt. WAKE UP AMERICA, before it's no longer America.....crap we are already there, go back to sleep.
Looks like a White House Source turns out to be a White Horse Souse. Democracy at Work. EhEh.
Here is what is truly sad about this and other issues with our lawmakers that no one really talks about, regardless of whether you are democrat, republican, or whatever. They have this guy on recorded media saying that the other guy was drunk/drinking. When asked he says, "I didn't say that." Show me someone who when asked if he said something, does not immediately respond with a knee-jerk evasion. Show me a politician who says "Hell yeah I said that, and ya know what? I meant it!" and I'll show you a vote for that man. Where do these @!$%#s get off lying all the time? BOTH SIDES! God forfend anyone make a stand!
Sessions is no match to a drunken democrat, it might even it up, a little!
How can you tell if a Democrat is drinking or not? Take Biden for instance,he is always ranting and raving like a drunk man,Pelosi has a blank look in her eyes and Reid is just plain incoherent at times. Actions by the Democrats is going to make the whole nation start drinking to forget.
can you blame them, look who their leader is.....obozo
Congress is full of idiots and the people that vote them in are even worse. Bohner is trying to bring up the budget again when all the GOP has tried to do lately is back out of the agreements they made last time. Cut the damn defense budget in half, it'll mean we only spend 5 times what the nearest country does instead of ten. Rest of the country is hurting and the defense industry should be too. But no they want to take it away from gov employees and anything else they can but don't raise any taxes and don't touch defense. That's whats going to kill this country! Take corporations and religion out of politics and let the citizens vote on everything so congress can't be bought!
put the power back in citizens hands throw self voted pay raises in jail for theft give the money back to the kids
Defense is what allows us to post on here numbn**z. Take away the subsidies to industries that can't hold their own. Get rid of the Dept of Educ, Energy and a few others. Dept ebergy, what a joke. They were formed in the 70's to reduce dependancy on foriegn oil. What a good job they have done. Over 10,000 employees I believe it is. You complain about Boehner's budget? At least he put one forth. Still waiting on Reid to submit one for the last 3 years now. The Democrats have been the party of "NO". that threat obama threw out yesterday, that POS needs to look in the mirror. You really want to fix politics.....no political donations from corps or citizens, make them publicly funded elections where candidates meeting certain qualifications all get an equal amount. That's when I knew Obama was a POS when he reneged on his pledge in his election in 2008. The guy lies and lies and lies. For his own personal gain.
Get rid of the ones that help us on a day to day basis, that actually look to the future of the country by trying to educate our kids? Bombs and rockets aren't going to do us any good if the citizens are starving to death, what's to defend then. Stop trying to defend a bloated dept with no one to answer too. Cutting their budget in half will only hurt the over priced defense industry. Check it out, look how much they over price everything they sell. Those books need to be audited bad but they're so screwed up no one can figure them out. That's right numbnuts, see I can spell it thanks to the Dept of Educ.
The Office of Management and Budget has said that the Department of Defense accounts are impossible to audit.
leave it to the drunks and whino to make the laws hell if ur gonna b in seats of power u should hire people that dont drink or smoke but the drunks rule look at obama encoureging our kids to settle there difrences by being drunks go obama, oh well the world gets better one liver at a time drink a keg a day obama u lying peice of sh%#@
Maybe if they drank before every meeting,we would have a lot more compromise. But let's be honest, 241 Amendment submittals is ridiculous. They should ALL be ashamed even that many were submitted (I am willing to bet less than 10% probably had nothing to do with "defense" and were geared towards pork). We need to vote them and Obama out. They are all the same mold. We have to stop having loyalties to party, especially in the primaries unless you have a definitive tool running. Vote strrictly in your party for all I care, we need to get the incumbents out.
This article has much to do about nothing. He said, she said, he's drunk, well he's not drunk I'm sorry, hi how are you I'm fine. Yadda yadda yadda. Nothing to see here, move along.
This is so typical of the press too - all this he said she said crap and nothing on the substance of the amendment. Other than it was something aimed at "ending the war" boy there is some real detail from our press to chew on? Gee come to think of it isn't the Commander in Chief in the same party as the Rep from MA?
Typical cheap-shot, shoot-from-the-hip BS from TeaPublican legislators who don't understand that legislating is about achieving consensus. And when they get backed into a corner by logic and passion from an informed Democrat, they come out with their guns blazing away. Never mind that the bullets are total BS. This is the kind of "leadership" that the "New Republican" party (from Reagan until now) has given us. Idealogue/cowboys who will rule or ruin. And look at the ruined mess they have made of the Congress. I want to throw up. But I want to throw them out even more.
From the looks of our economy, I think both sides of the isle are drunks. We really do need to limit terms for Congress, just like the Pres. It would not solve everything, but would not allow unfettered corruption to go on for decades.