Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas briefly interrupted the State of the Union address Tuesday and was quickly kicked out of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.
The Democrat was ushered out of the chamber, and one Republican grabbed at the sign on his way out.
The president later said that he did not see the video before it was posted.
Green held up a banner reading, “Black people aren’t apes,” in an apparent reference to a video depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes that was posted to the president’s Truth Social account.
“These people are crazy! I am telling you, they’re crazy!” the president later said in the address while pointing to Democrats.
Green interrupted the president’s address last year before Congress and was escorted out at that time as well.
“You have no mandate!” he yelled at one point, while shaking his cane at the president.
Many Democratic members of Congress later joined Republicans in a vote to censure him for the incident. The resolution passed 224-198.
Republicans and Democrats both condemned the anti-Obama video, including Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. The president later said that he did not see the video before it was posted and blamed a staffer for the incident.
RELATED: Rep. Al Green of Texas releases statement on sexual assault allegations from 2008
Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
Green blamed racism for his ejection after the interruption last year.
“There is invidious discrimination in the House of Representatives. I’m a son of the segregated South. The rights that the Constitution recognized for me — my friends and neighbors deny it. I had to sit in the back of the bus, the balcony of the movie, drink from a colored water fountain,” he said in an interview.
“When the speaker decided that I would be removed and then there was this motion,” he added, “this resolution to censure me, it became obvious to me that I was not being treated as others were, and candidly speaking, it is invidious discrimination.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
