The raucous display of dissatisfaction to President Donald Trump that some House Democrats put on during his speech Tuesday night reportedly landed them in hot water Wednesday with Democratic leaders who were “very unhappy” they explicitly defied House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
That’s according to a new report in Axios, which detailed a “come to Jesus meeting” that at least a dozen congressional Democrats were summoned to Thursday morning. They include Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Maxine Dexter (D-OR) – all of whom defied Jeffries’ calls before the presidential address to Congress to present a “strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”
The president’s divisive, 99-minute speech was instead met with heckling, walk-outs and a public demonstration by Rep. Al Green (D-TX) that resulted in him being ejected from the House chamber.
“In meetings and discussions with leadership this week, Democrats who heckled, walked out in protest or were otherwise disruptive were given a talking to about their tactics,” sources told Axios.
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“It's a consultative process,” a source told the publication of the meeting, which is said to have included Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA). The source added the lawmakers are “not getting yelled at.”
“We understand the pressure they are under. They are not being talked to like they are children. We are helping them understand why their strategy is a bad idea,” Axios quoted the source as saying.
The majority-Republican House voted earlier Thursday to censure Green for his outburst during Trump’s speech, which included him yelling, “He has no mandate” while waving a cane.
