HAM-FISTED

The Only Republican Who Backed George Floyd Police Reforms Says He Pressed Wrong Button

Rep. Lance Gooden was the sole Republican to vote in favor of the police-reform bill—but he has an explanation.

On Wednesday, a police-reform act named in honor of George Floyd—which aims to ban chokeholds and create national standards for policing—passed as easily as had been expected in the Democratic-controlled House. But the final vote tally contained one big surprise—a single Republican, the staunch Trump ally and conservative Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), voted in favor of the act in what seemed to be an apparent crisis of conscience. However, according to Gooden, there’s a far simpler explanation—in all the excitement, he put his finger down on the wrong button. According to The Washington Post, the congressman confessed to his ham-fisted error in a since-deleted tweet, writing: “I accidentally pressed the wrong voting button and realized it too late... I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition to the partisan George Floyd Policing Act.” His correction was ultimately pointless, as the bill passed 220-112.