From the House floor on Thursday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) made remarks about a fellow member of Congress, in this case, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), that even he admitted were "unparliamentary." Not surprisingly, they were to do with a favorite topic of his, January 6. The body was not discussing the events of that day last year, but rather military aid going to Ukraine.
Raskin was the lead impeachment manager during former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, which did not take place until after he had already left office. He also serves on the January 6 select committee.
After Rep. Raskin called Rep. Greene a "cheerleader for the resurrection," as Mychael Schnell reported for The Hill on Thursday afternoon, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) asked that Raskin's words be taken down, a request made if offensive language or "unparliamentary" remarks are made by representatives. Rep. Raskin then asked for unanimous consent for his words to be taken down.
From Schnell's report:
Raskin criticized Greene immediately after her own two-minute speech on the bill. Greene had not mentioned Ukraine in her own remarks, but had focused on what she said was an “invasion” at the southern border. Greene has been critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
“Gentlelady talked about a massive invasion. We had a massive invasion of our own chamber. And she continued to be a cheerleader for the insurrection, and deny what happened here,” an animated Raskin said.
Reschenthaler at that point asked for Raskin’s words to be taken down.
There was then a pause of about 15 minutes in proceedings before Raskin asked for unanimous consent to withdraw his words, which was agreed to without objection. He admitted to using “unparliamentary language.”
“The House rules do forbid engaging in personalities and I accept the advice of the parliamentarian that I used unparliamentary language to make my point and I certainly respect the necessity for parliamentary decorum,” the Maryland Democrat said.
Raskin later told The Hill that “unparliamentary does not mean untrue.” He said he wanted to discuss Greene’s remarks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and her past comments about “NATO Nazis.”
He said Republicans objected to the comments when he “took a little artistic license” and called Greene a cheerleader for the insurrection.
“I accept the idea that they were unparliamentary but I do not believe they were untrue,” he added.
"Jamie Raskin" was trending over Twitter on Thursday night and Friday as a result.
The exchange is also available on C-SPAN.
Rep. Greene had likewise focused on her own topic of preference, the crisis at the southern border, and her support of H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act of 2021, which was introduced in January of last year by Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-NM). As Greene described it, the bill "would maintain health screening protections at the border to ensure that the Biden administration does not allow foreigners to enter our country illegally without being properly vetted."
The congresswoman spoke of how in representing a district in Georgia, she does not live in a border state, and thus "it's a lot different when we see on the news the stories of the massive invasion at our southern border" and that "it's a lot different when we read about it."
Greene went on to describe how she had just been at the border "a few days ago" and noted while she was there "it became very clear to me what is happening at our southern border is, it is a crisis of epic proportions, and it's difficult to comprehend it until you actually see it in person. This is a complete human and drug trafficking operation that is doing nothing for Americans but hurting our country."
.@RepMTG: "I'm from Georgia, and for those of us that don't live in border states it's a lot different when we see on the news the stories of the massive invasion at our southern border. [...] What is happening at our southern border is a crisis of epic proportions." pic.twitter.com/1KrXmQEDnQ
— The Hill (@thehill) April 29, 2022
The congresswoman has opposed sending aid to Ukraine in light of the Russian invasion. As Schnell also reported on Thursday night, Rep. Greene was among 10 Republican representatives who voted 'no' on a Ukrainian lend-lease bill.
So far, the Biden administration has already sent billions in security assistance to Ukraine, and President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve $33 billion in aid.
As CNBC reported on Friday, "Biden’s $33 billion Ukraine aid request hits early snag over Covid funding in Congress." The president's insistence that tying the two together came up during Friday's press briefing, when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki doubled down on that aim.
"I would note that the President feels that both are urgent, both are emergencies. Of course, the — we know there’s an urgency in getting additional assistance. We know we have a few more weeks depending on how the final military drawdown is spent out," Psaki said about the aid to Ukraine.
Rep. Greene is also in the news for a feud she's having with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a fellow Republican who is from Colorado, and who is also trending on Twitter, as is Greene.
According to Ryan Bort for Rolling Stone, "Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert Almost Came to Blows Over White Nationalist Event: Report." The report cites how Olivia Beavers for POLITICO has written about "Inside the House Freedom Caucus’ identity crisis." According to Beavers, "inside the House GOP, they’re not quite buddy-buddy," when it comes to the two congresswomen. "Privately, Republicans say Boebert (R-Colo.) — who’s seen as more of a party team player than Greene — detests being tied to her Georgia colleague."