We are not surprised that someone in Congress had a shutdown-related meltdown, we just thought it would be John Boehner launching into an expletive-laden tirade about Harry Reid. Instead, just as the House was finishing up its vote to bring the crisis to a close, a woman approached the podium below the Speaker’s chair and yelled:
>“This is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been – no – it would not have been – the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons! They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise Jesus [recording unclear]. Lord Jesus Christ!”
C-SPAN’s cameras caught the incident (she’s right under “YEA”), which ended with the woman being escorted from the House floor. According to the Washington Post, Rep. Gerry Connolly said the woman, whose name hasn’t been released, is well-liked in the House. “I think there’s a lot of sympathy, because something clearly happened there,” Connolly said.
The Takeaway’s Todd Zwillich posted the audio:
UPDATE: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the presiding officer, told Fox News that stenographer Dianne Reidy approached her and asked if the microphones were on. She assumed she was “chatting too much to the helpful parliamentarians around me,” then Reidy turned around and started speaking. “I hammered to get control and hush her up,” said Ros-Lehtinen. “She said something about the devil. It was sudden, confusing and heartbreaking. She is normally a gentle soul.” Reidy was questioned by U.S. Capitol Police and taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.
