Reps. Harris, Allred nearly get into fistfight during election certification: report
The altercation was avoided after almost a dozen lawmakers stepped up to deescalate the nearly violent situation.
Members of the Republican and Democratic party almost escalated to physical violence during the early Thursday morning debate to certify Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
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Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Colin Allred (D-Tex.), had a high volume verbal exchange before meeting in the aisle. The Washington Post reported the fight followed a speech from Rep. Conor Lamb.
During the speech, he said GOP members who objected to President-elect Joe Biden’s confirmation did not need to “strip this Congress of its dignity” according to the outlet.
He referenced the violent mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday in support of President Donald Trump.
“We know that that attack today, it didn’t materialize out of nowhere, it was inspired by lies — the same lies that you’re hearing in this room tonight,” Lamb remarked, according to the Post. “The members who are repeating those lies should be ashamed of themselves, their constituents should be ashamed of them.”
Some opposed his viewpoint and the meeting intensified. Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) moved to have the comments struck from the record, the Post reported. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied the request and Lamb continued to vocally express his opinion, exclaiming “the truth hurts,” according to the outlet.
As he spoke, Harris and Allred began to yell at each other to sit down before meeting in the aisle. Multiple members immediately joined them in an effort to prevent a fistfight. Pelosi repeatedly called for order, banging her gavel. According to the Post, Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.) was also involved.
Although the argument cannot be seen, you can hear the heated exchange in the video below.
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There have been calls for Harris to step down or be fired for his stance on Biden’s victory. Del. Eric Luedtke of Maryland and the Maryland Democratic Party shared messages calling for his resignation or removal on social media.
“Every Maryland leader who cares about the Constitution – Democrats, and Republicans both – should come together to remove Andy Harris from office at the earliest opportunity,” Luedtke said. “His support for overthrowing a legitimate democratic election demonstrates that he is unfit to serve.”
“Representative Andy Harris has sought to undermine the will of voters across Maryland and our nation. Join us in calling for the immediate resignation of Representative Andy Harris,” wrote the Maryland Democratic Party sharing a link to a petition.
theGrio reported Congress rejected challenges to Biden’s win in both Pennsylvania and Arizona. In total, 138 Republicans voted to confirm the objection of Pennsylvania’s election results, while 64 voted against it. No Democrats supported the objection.
Six Republican senators and 121 Republican members of the House of Representatives continued to support the objection of Arizona’s votes.
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