After Congressman Tom Marino (R, PA) made the assertion that the Democrats did nothing about the immigration mess when they controlled both houses of Congress, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke House decorum by running after the Pennsylvanian to berate him for his address.
Marino appeared on the floor on Friday, August 1, to voice his support for the passage of the Republican effort to deal with this immigration crisis and noted that Democrats are full of complaining, but are culpable, at least in part, for the situation getting as bad as it has gotten.
“We don’t have law and order,” Marino said of the border crisis. “My colleagues on the other side don’t want to do anything about it.”
He went on to say, “You know something that I find quite interesting about the other side? Under the leadership of the former Speaker [Pelosi], and under the leadership of their former leader [Steny Hoyer], when in 2009 and 2010, they had the House, the Senate and the White House, and they knew this problem existed. They didn’t have the strength to go after it back then. But now are trying to make a political issue out of it now.”
With that proclamation hanging in the air, Rep. Pelosi went running over to Marino’s seat and off-mic began to forcefully engage him on the matter apparently telling him he was wrong.
“Yes it is true,” Marino said on-mic to Pelosi. “I did the research on it. You might want to try it. You might want to try it, Madam Leader. Do the research on it. Do the research. I did it. That’s one thing that you don’t do.”
Illinois Republican Randy Hultgren, acting as the presiding officer, then warned Marino to address comments through the chair and not directly to other members, but referencing Pelosi’s break of decorum, Marino retorted that it “works both ways.”
Marino finished his remarks, but as soon as he did, Pelosi again came running over to personally attack him for his comments angrily pointing her finger toward him.
At least one Democrat, Rep. Nita Lowey, (N.Y.), was heard saying, “what is she doing?
Later Pelosi claimed that she was just correcting Marino on his points. A spokesman for the former Speaker said that she “accepted the Congressman’s apology.”
Marino, however, said he offered no “apology” and won’t do so because he is 100 percent right on the matter.
The Pennsylvania Republican later Tweeted that Pelosi verbally attacked him and called him an “insignificant person.” No doubt part of that Democrat new tone Obama and Pelosi brought to the country.
Rep. Pelosi called me an 'insignificant person' on the Floor of the House. I'll ponder that for a while driving to Williamsport tonight…
— Rep. Tom Marino (@RepTomMarino) August 2, 2014
All this is a bit of a break of House decorum. After all, every Representative is supposed to be allowed his or her say on the floor of the lower chamber without being assaulted by other members
Ultimately, the House voted 223-189 in favor of the $694 million border supplemental bill favored by Republicans.
