Twitter Erupts After Republicans Rebuke and Silence Elizabeth Warren for Reading Coretta Scott King’s Letter
#LetLizSpeak
During Senate Democrats’ 24-hour “mini-filibuster” to protest the nomination of Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tried to read on the Senate floor a letter written by civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, the very same letter read thirty years ago on the Senate floor in opposition to Sessions’ nomination to the federal bench.
Senator Warren was not allowed to read the letter in full, after a claim by the presiding Senate president, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) that the contents of the letter violated Senate rules by “impugning” the character of a fellow senator. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed, and set up an exceptionally rare vote to officially rebuke – and silence – Senator Warren.
Elizabeth Warren silenced in Senate after reading quote calling Jeff Sessions “a disgrace to the Justice Dept.” https://t.co/vMfi0xZmvT pic.twitter.com/6jeGaW73GX
— ABC News (@ABC) February 8, 2017
What was so horrific that caused the sensitive ears of Senate Republicans to be so offended they needed to silence not just Senator Warren, but Coretta Scott King?
Via The Washington Post:
“Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens,†King wrote, referencing controversial prosecutions at the time that Sessions served as the U.S. attorney for Alabama. Earlier, Warren read from the 1986 statement of Kennedy, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee who led the opposition then against Sessions, including the Massachusetts Democrat’s concluding line: “He is, I believe, a disgrace to the Justice Department and he should withdraw his nomination and resign his position.â€
Senate GOP silenced both @SenWarren and Coretta Scott King tonight. Below is the letter they don’t what you to know about: #LetLizSpeak pic.twitter.com/CGQgucgn06
— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) February 8, 2017
In response to the rebuke led by Mitch McConnell, Senator Warren said: “I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate.â€
I will not be silent about a nominee for AG who has made derogatory & racist comments that have no place in our justice system.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 8, 2017
She then took the letter and let the Senate chambers, and read Coretta Scott King’s letter live on Facebook (video above).
UPDATES:
Republican Senator Who Warned Warren Tweets Video of Him Titled ‘The Senator Will Take Her Seat’
After Republicans Rebuke Elizabeth Warren Four Others Senators Read Same Letter Uninterrupted
And then she spoke with Rachel Maddow:
🚨🚨 Elizabeth Warren speaks exclusively to @maddow about her silencing by Mitch McConnell: “I’ve been red-carded.” https://t.co/JCzYrNnfMT
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2017
CNN Wednesday morning ran a story titled: “Silencing Elizabeth Warren backfires on Senate GOP”:
The Senate has silenced Elizabeth Warren.Â
And by doing so, majority Republicans just handed the liberal firebrand a megaphone — further elevating President Donald Trump’s fiercest and most prominent critic in the Senate and turning her into a Democratic hero.
Twitter erupted in fury and anger over McConnell’s and his Republican Senators’ actions, spawning the hashtag #LetLizSpeak:
Notice that the GOP has gone after two civil rights icons in the last month:
1) John Lewis
2) Coretta Scott KingThis is deliberate.
— Broderick Greer (@BroderickGreer) February 8, 2017
Remember when Republicans sanctioned congressman that screamed, “You lie” to President Obama during SOTU to Congress, nor do I #LetLizSpeak
— â™»ï¸ Christopher Zullo (@ChrisJZullo) February 8, 2017
Think about it: Senator Warren was silenced in the U.S. Senate for reading the words of Coretta Scott King. We are losing our democracy.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 8, 2017
You know what? Every Democratic Senator should stand up and read Coretta Scott King’s letter tomorrow. Every. Single. One.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 8, 2017
McConnell thought he’d quash the Coretta Scott King letter by silencing Warren. Nope. Instead, everyone wants to know exactly what it said.
— Jay Kuo (@nycjayjay) February 8, 2017
Congressional Black Caucus chairman calls Warren’s silencing by Senate GOP “disgusting and disgraceful.” pic.twitter.com/6ogC672jk3
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2017
I wonder what @SenateMajLdr thought he was accomplishing by shutting Elizabeth Warren down WHILE SHE WAS QUOTING CORETTA KING. #LetLizSpeak
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) February 8, 2017
Silencing the words of #CorettaScottKing as read by Sen. Warren is cowardly & wrong. Jeff Sessions was wrong then, wrong now. #LetLizSpeak pic.twitter.com/UR4lwawfFj
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) February 8, 2017
Nevertheless She Persisted.#LetLizSpeak #Resist #WomensMarch #CorettaScottKing Warren #JeffSessions #CNNDebateNIght #ThisIsUs #9thCircuit pic.twitter.com/Q2f9LAyOfX
— Frederick Douglass (@HITEXECUTIVE) February 8, 2017
If you don’t see how the brave people speaking up are mostly women, and how the #GOP is set on silencing them, then WAKE UP…#LetLizSpeak
— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) February 8, 2017
If u need to silence words of a civil rights icon b/c it impugns ur senator, perhaps the problem is ur senator?#LetLizSpeak #stopsessions
— Heather (@moonmermaid23) February 8, 2017
Here is the list of Senators who voted to silence @elizabethforma and Coretta Scott King #letlizspeak #resist pic.twitter.com/LFDTp3DSF3
— The Women’s Watch â„ï¸ (@TheWomensWatch) February 8, 2017
If read’g Coretta Scott King’s letter impugns Sessions’ character,then read’g our Constitution may damn him hell. #letlizspeak #stopsessions pic.twitter.com/GaDEjJdmg6
— Cornell Wm. Brooks (@CornellWBrooks) February 8, 2017
WOW @GOP senators silence @SenWarren while she’s trying to read letter from #CorettaScottKing during #BlackHistoryMonth. #LetLizSpeak pic.twitter.com/6uUAj3Vfj6
— 1199SEIU Caregivers (@1199SEIU) February 8, 2017
Republicans may have inadvertently launched Elizabeth Warren 2020 tonight. #LetLizSpeak pic.twitter.com/szYnFsIGHd
— Gabe OrtÃz (@TUSK81) February 8, 2017
Republicans should produce a list of civil rights leaders who’s words are banned from the Senate floor #LetLizSpeak
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) February 8, 2017
Mitch McConnell is playing the role of George Wallace tonight blocking the words of a black civil rights leader from the senate #letlizspeak
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) February 8, 2017

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