"Two Republican Members Voted Without Being Sworn In"

[Clio the Leo]

Treason!!! Or SOMETHING!!!!

Two Republican Members Voted Without Being Sworn In
Posted Thursday, January 06, 2011 3:30 PM | By David Weigel

One unexpected sideshow to today's reading of the Constitution happened around two hours after that, when Speaker of the House John Boehner took up the gavel and swore in Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas). Why did he have to do that? Because both of them missed yesterday's swearing in, losing track of time while at a reception. Both of them went on to vote on the House's rules package. Fitzpatrick read from the Constitution despite not, technically, being a member of Congress. Sessions offered the motion to constitute the Rules Committee, which he was not technically allowed to do.

How big a flub was this? It's going to require some fix to retroactively give the Rules Committee motion the force of law, and if the Rules vote is scored, it's kind of an open question whether Fitzpatrick and Sessions' votes should count.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2011/01/06/two-republican-members-voted-without-being-sworn-in.aspx

[Skink]

1. The repugs don't play by the rules.

[AtomicKitten]

2. That's just straight up stupid.

[gateley]

3. "...losing track of time while at a reception." Other reports stated they "watched it

on TV". But Republicans don't have to follow the rules, they just have to make people think they do.

[madmax]

4. Minor technicality... for them. nt

[karynnj]

5. We need all Democrats to oh so solemnly say that the Constitution

says you have to be sworn in. (Also there's that little problem of fundraiser's in the Nation's capitol. ) Where is the outrage from all the people talking of strict adherence of the Constitution.

[catgirl]

6. Nothing like disrespecting the House chamber

and breaking the rules. These guys aren't freshmen and know better. They should be punished. ;-)