SHUT DOWN

McConnell Cuts Off Warren, Silences Her for Sessions Floor Speech

McConnell uses arcane rule to block reading of Coretta Scott King letter.

During a floor speech Tuesday night in the Senate in opposition to the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general in Trump’s administration, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cut off Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) while she was quoting a letter written by Coretta Scott King. The letter was written when Sessions was being considered for federal judgeship in 1986. The letter argued that “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens.”

“I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate,” Warren replied when Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who was presiding in the chair, agreed with McConnell’s objection. Warren later turned to Facebook Live to read the full King letter, as Senate Democrats again staged an all-nighter to air their objections to another Trump Cabinet nominee.