Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., snapped at a Democratic colleague Tuesday after being interrupted during a meeting of the the House Rules Committee.
“Listening to these smokescreens that my friends on the other side of the aisle are saying, they bring up the trial of Donald Trump, convicted felon. Really? By a judge that is a known anti-Trumper?" Norman said before Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., interrupted him.
“A jury, a jury, not by a judge,” Nadler corrected.
“Mr. Nadler, I’ve got the floor!” Norman shouted. “If you gonna interrupt — Mr. Chairman, calm him down when he interrupts. It’s my time and I’ll let you respond, but I’m tired of this. You talk over everybody. It’s so rude of you!"
After Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsying of business records last month, Democrats have been quick to remind everyone that Trump is, in their words, a "convicted felon."
Republicans, however, have criticized the judge who oversaw Trump’s trial for donating a total of $35 to the Democratic Party in 2020, including $15 to the Biden-Harris campaign.
In the meeting, Norman brought up Hunter Biden, who was found guilty of three felony counts on Tuesday and faces up to 25 years in prison for lying about his drug addiction when he purchased a firearm. Norman said it was “strange” Biden was prosecuted for those charges but not some of Biden’s business dealings; despite months of investigations, Republicans have failed to uncover any evidence of criminality.
“I’m tired of these smokescreens, you’re talking about miscarriage of justice, it really is,” Norman said.
In the same meeting, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., slammed Republicans for similar accusations, namely that Democrats have “weaponized” the justice system after Trump’s felony convictions. Some Republicans have gone so far as to claim Biden orchestrated his son’s guilty verdict to create an “equal illusion of justice,” MSNBC reported.
“That is how you think when you’re in a cult,” McGovern said of the GOP conspiracy theories. He also contrasted Republican leaders’ reaction to Trump’s conviction with Biden’s reaction to his son’s conviction; the president has said he accepts the outcome of his son’s trial and “will continue to respect the judicial process.”
“It’s a great reminder that one political party remains committed to the rule of law and the other doesn’t,” McGovern said.
