Dispensing with the commitment to political "civility" that leads so many lawmakers to prioritize good manners over justice, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) ignored House rules on Friday and played audio of detained immigrant children crying in an effort to highlight the thousands of young kids who have been ripped from their parents by the Trump administration.
"I can't play the ProPublica audio of their cries for help because of 'decorum'? F*ck decorum. Donald Trump engaged in the functional equivalent of kidnapping. The American people need to hear this."
—Rep. Ted Lieu
"I think the American people need to hear this," Lieu said as Rep. Karen Handel (R-Ga.)—who was presiding over the House chamber—repeatedly slammed the gavel and ordered Lieu to suspend his time, citing the congressman's breach of a "decorum" rule barring the use of electronic devices to play sound in the House chamber.
"2,300 kids were ripped away from parents with no real plan to reunite them," Lieu added in a tweet after he ultimately yielded his time and left the House chamber. "I can't play the ProPublica audio of their cries for help because of 'decorum'? F*ck decorum. Donald Trump engaged in the functional equivalent of kidnapping. The American people need to hear this."
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Watch:
Ted Lieu plays the ProPublica audio of crying children in detention centers on the House floor.
Karen Handel, who was presiding over the floor, repeatedly tries to stop Lieu.
Lieu responds: "Why are we hiding this from the American people?" (via CSPAN)pic.twitter.com/NW2emIPFdb
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 22, 2018
