Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler instructed all members of the House Judiciary Committee to mute their microphones during a Wednesday hearing after someone was heard cursing in the background.
During a roll call vote on an amendment to the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, the office of an unknown member could be heard via a teleconference application. A person then apparently spoke into the application, “Where did that fucking go?”
The comments interrupted the roll call, forcing Democratic California Rep. Karen Bass to repeat her vote.
“I remind all members to mute themselves,” Nadler said.
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The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which creates new offices within the Department of Homeland Security, passed out of the committee along party lines.
Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives has given members the option to participate in hearings remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has also instituted proxy voting, which allows members to vote for each other on the House floor. Republicans have criticized proxy voting, arguing that it violates the Constitution and that members are using the excuse of COVID-19 to attend fundraisers and other more preferable activities.
The Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Texas Rep. Chip Roy challenging the constitutionality of proxy voting, ruling that Congress can set its own procedures. (RELATED: Supreme Court Rejects McCarthy Challenge To Absentee Voting)
Many elected officials struggled to adapt to remote work. Democratic New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne seen virtually attending a committee hearing in what appeared to be his underwear. Elsewhere, an Ohio state senator used a green screen in an attempt to hide the fact that he attended an oversight board meeting while driving.