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House Rules Committee chairman: Democrats should be 'held accountable' for gun-control sit-in

Jun 27, 2016, 21:53 IST

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) (L) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) participate in a news conference May 23, 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.Alex Wong/Getty Images

The chairman of the House Rules Committee said Sunday that Democrats who staged an unprecedented 25-hour sit-in demanding a vote on gun-control legislation should be "held accountable" for their actions.

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"There was a complete lack of [respect] and I believe what they did is not only wrong but that they should be held accountable through an ethics process for that," Texas Rep. Pete Sessions told WFAA-TV.

He added: "If I were in a position I would move the case for us to ethically under ethics rules to hold people accountable."

Last Wednesday, House Democrats, led by civil-rights icon Rep. John Lewis, said they would not vacate the lower-chamber until gun-control legislation was brought up for a vote. When House Speaker Paul Ryan attempted to move on with other business, the Democrats shouted "no bill, no break" at him. Eventually they ended their sit-in, despite no legislation ever coming to the floor.

"They should not have used that nor would we allow a bunch of people at a court room to take advantage of a courtroom," Sessions told WFAA. "There are places that business is done where decorum is utilized and where we respect each other."

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Last week, the Republican congressman used similar rhetoric. He called the protest a "stunt" and said Democrats were using "tyrannical antics" to score political points.

Speaking of the protest at the weekly House leadership briefing, Ryan characterized the incident as a "publicity stunt" aimed at helping Democrats fundraise. He said the Democrats had allowed the House to descend into "chaos" and argued that it "sets a very dangerous precedent."

"One of the things that makes our country strong is our institutions," Ryan said. "No matter how bad things get in this country, we have a basic structure that ensures a functioning democracy. We can disagree on policy. But we do so within the bounds of order and respect for the system. Otherwise, it all falls apart."

A representative for Lewis, who spearheaded the demonstration, did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the accusation last week.

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