WATCH: Democrats Loudly Jeer When House Republican Accuses Them of Drinking Through Repeated Speaker Votes

 

As House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) chaotic attempt to win the Speaker’s gavel stumbled into its sixth ballot, a Rep.-elect Kat Cammack’s (R-FL) floor speech drew loud objections from House Democrats when she accused them of drinking while they rejoiced in the Republican disarray.

Cammack delivered a fiery speech urging her colleagues to vote for McCarthy in between his fifth and soon-to-be sixth failed votes, saying that the California Republican “has proved that he can get things done” and “that he is willing to stand up in the face of critics.”

House Republicans should “trust the American people who sent our colleagues here,” said Cammack, because the House stands for election every two years and “therefore, this chamber is an instrument of the people’s will.”

Refusing to elect McCarthy as Speaker, said Cammack, was tantamount to “stifl[ing] the will of the American people.”

She credited McCarthy for having “done more than anyone in this chamber to secure a Republican majority,” and said they needed to “unify now” to oppose the “liberal Senate” and “Obama’s J.V. Team in the White House.”

“The American people sent a conservative majority to govern this body,” she continued, but “we cannot begin to govern because heck, we can’t even swear in as members of Congress.”

“Diversity of thought” was “a good thing,” and sets Republicans “apart from our friends on the other side of the aisle,” Cammack continued, who “want us divided” and “want us to fight each other.”

“That much has been made clear but the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is coming over there,” she said with a grin as the Democratic side of the chamber broke into boos and jeers.

“The House is not in order,” Cammack said a few times to the clerk, requesting order.

“The clerk would ask all members elect to abide by the decorum of the House while making nominations,” House Clerk Cheryl Johnson interjected amid the noise.

As Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman noted, several Democrats called out for the clerk to “take down her words,” meaning to strike Cammack’s remarks about drinking from the Congressional record. But since the Speaker has not yet been elected for the new Congress and new members have not yet been sworn in — note the media references to the new members as “Rep.-elect” — they have also not yet voted on the official rules to govern House procedures and there is literally no actual way to accomplish this.

Cammack wrapped up her remarks shortly thereafter and yielded back the floor.

The “drinking” accusation may have brought objections, but several Democrats had tweeted photos of themselves enjoying popcorn as they enjoyed the GOP chaos, including Reps.-elect Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).

Watch the video above, via Fox News.

 

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Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.