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Manuel Oliver, the father of Majory Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Joaquin Oliver at Wednesday's gun violence hearing. (Photo: Screenshot/Twitter)
'Disgusting': GOP Congressman Tries to Get Parkland Victim's Father Ejected From Gun Control Hearing
"Manuel Oliver and Fred Guttenberg are heroes, and have lived through enough trauma without [Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)] being too immature to handle constituents voicing their disagreement with his positions."
Feb 05, 2019
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was angrily interrupted by Manuel Oliver, the father of Majory Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence Wednesday after the lawmaker said that "a wall" on the southern border would be a more effective way to curb gun violence than mandatory background checks.
The interruption led Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) to interject, asking: "Is there any committee rule that prevents a member of congress for making false statements in a committee hearing?" His question drew loud applause from the audience.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was also murdered during the Parkland shooting--and seated next to Oliver at the hearing--appeared visibly agitated by Gaetz's comments. While chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) attempted to restore order, Gaetz suggested both Oliver and Guttenberg be ejected from the hearing.
Watch:
Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, was quick to condemn Gaetz on Twitter:
She was far from alone in her outrage:
In a tweet, Waleed Shahid of the advocacy group Justice Democrats, likened Gaetz's comments to the lies told by other white supremacists in congressional history.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was angrily interrupted by Manuel Oliver, the father of Majory Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence Wednesday after the lawmaker said that "a wall" on the southern border would be a more effective way to curb gun violence than mandatory background checks.
The interruption led Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) to interject, asking: "Is there any committee rule that prevents a member of congress for making false statements in a committee hearing?" His question drew loud applause from the audience.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was also murdered during the Parkland shooting--and seated next to Oliver at the hearing--appeared visibly agitated by Gaetz's comments. While chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) attempted to restore order, Gaetz suggested both Oliver and Guttenberg be ejected from the hearing.
Watch:
Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, was quick to condemn Gaetz on Twitter:
She was far from alone in her outrage:
In a tweet, Waleed Shahid of the advocacy group Justice Democrats, likened Gaetz's comments to the lies told by other white supremacists in congressional history.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was angrily interrupted by Manuel Oliver, the father of Majory Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence Wednesday after the lawmaker said that "a wall" on the southern border would be a more effective way to curb gun violence than mandatory background checks.
The interruption led Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) to interject, asking: "Is there any committee rule that prevents a member of congress for making false statements in a committee hearing?" His question drew loud applause from the audience.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was also murdered during the Parkland shooting--and seated next to Oliver at the hearing--appeared visibly agitated by Gaetz's comments. While chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) attempted to restore order, Gaetz suggested both Oliver and Guttenberg be ejected from the hearing.
Watch:
Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, was quick to condemn Gaetz on Twitter:
She was far from alone in her outrage:
In a tweet, Waleed Shahid of the advocacy group Justice Democrats, likened Gaetz's comments to the lies told by other white supremacists in congressional history.
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