The U.S. House’s impeachment debate took a dramatic turn on Wednesday afternoon when Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) stormed back to the dais to shout at Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) after he accused the Texas lawmaker of peddling “Russian propaganda.”
During his floor speech, Gohmert—a fervent defender of the president—groused that the impeachment of President Donald Trump was really an effort by Democrats to “stop the investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and Ukraine into the corruption of Ukraine interference in the U.S. election in 2016.”
“This is a travesty, We’re in big trouble” Gohmert huffed, adding: “Now it’s lowered even further, the bar. [Impeachment] will be used for political battles and this country’s end is now in sight. I hope I don’t live to see it. This is an outrage.”
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After Gohmert wrapped up his speech, Nadler took a moment to chastise the Texas lawmaker before yielding his time to a Democratic congressman.
“I’m deeply concerned that any member of the house would spout Russian propaganda on the floor of the House,” the judiciary chair sternly said, prompting Gohmert to run back to the podium.
Pointing his finger at Nadler, the Texas congressman yelled and demanded that the chairman’s words be stricken from the record. Nadler, for his part, appeared to not react to or indulge Gohmert’s angry outburst.
Last month, it was reported that the intelligence community had briefed senators and their aides that Russia has engaged in a lengthy campaign to frame Ukraine for Russia’s 2016 election interference and hacking. The briefing basically aligned with Dr. Fiona Hill’s impeachment testimony in which she criticized Republicans for pushing a “fictional narrative” about Ukrainian meddling.
