Share and Follow
On Tuesday evening, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was visibly frustrated and vocal on the House floor, expressing her displeasure towards her fellow Republicans. This reaction followed the narrow defeat of a resolution that sought to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.). The proposed measure, which also aimed to remove Plaskett from the House Intelligence Committee, was rejected with a vote of 209-214-3.
The resolution was prompted by documents recently made public that revealed Plaskett had consulted with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing. Despite this, the censure attempt failed, as three Republicans—Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Lance Gooden (Texas), and David Joyce (Ohio)—joined all Democrats in voting against it. Additionally, Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) opted to vote present, neither supporting nor opposing the measure.
Rep. Boebert, a member of the House Freedom Caucus which championed the resolution against Plaskett, was notably upset by the outcome. Although her exact words were not captured clearly by the House press gallery or on video recordings, her animated gestures, including finger-wagging, made her dissatisfaction evident.
In a turn of events, the failure to censure Plaskett influenced the Democrats’ decision to refrain from pursuing a censure against Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.). This adds another layer to the ongoing tensions and strategic maneuvering within the House.
Boebert’s exact words were not clearly audible from the House press gallery or on recordings after the vote failed, but she loudly yelled and wagged her finger at other Republicans.
At one point, Boebert went up to Mills, and pointed at him with a raised voice, too.
Had the Plaskett censure resolution succeeded, Democrats were poised to call up a resolution to censure Mills. Last month, a Florida county judge granted a restraining order against Mills requested by an ex-girlfriend who accused him of harassing and threatening to release intimate photos of her after their breakup earlier this year. Mills denied some of her accusations.
But just as when other censure pushes against Democrats failed, Democrats on Tuesday declined to pursue the censure against Mills.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) raised a parliamentary inquiry to express her displeasure with the situation.
“I was wondering if the Speaker of the House of Representatives can explain why leadership on both sides, both Democrat and Republican, are cutting back-end deals to cover up public corruption in the House of Representatives for both Republican and Democrat members of Congress,” Luna said.
Boebert cheered in approval and yelled: “Get it, girl.”
The chair said that Luna had not stated a proper parliamentary inquiry.
“Thank you very much, but I think the American people know what happened tonight,” Luna said.
Asked if she was hoping to see a vote on the Mills censure resolution, Luna told The Hill that “I think that everything deserves a vote, and I don’t have double standards for justice.”
Another member who was hoping to see Mills censured told The Hill that Boebert appeared to be frustrated that the Florida congressman would not be censured. Boebert’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.