Stenographer snaps, rants on House floor
Updated: 2:06 p.m. ET, 10/17/2013
Washington (CNN) – Amid all the chaos of the last-minute deal in Washington, there was an unusual moment on the House floor moments after the bill passed.
A House stenographer and well-known employee calmly took to a microphone and began screaming.
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"Do not be deceived. God shall not be mocked. A House divided cannot stand," she said, according to a House GOP aide. After a few seconds, she was escorted out by the Sergeant-at-Arms, but an audio recording by Todd Zwillich of Public Radio International captured the rest of her rant.
"He will not be mocked, He will not be mocked, (don't touch me) He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here, is that this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been... it would not have been... No. it would not have been... the Constitution would not have been written by Free Masons... and go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, Lord Jesus Christ."
House members and aides were surprised and unsettled by the scene.
"I don't know, she just snapped," said a GOP aide.
CNN's Dana Bash spoke with several staffers who knew the woman well.
"She’s a well-known person, she’s a perfectly nice person, a good colleague, somebody who’s respectable and dependable, and this is very surprising to everybody who works with her," Bash reported on air.
"The Sergeant in Arms didn’t try to stop her because she works there and that’s where she’s situated," Rep. Peter King, R-New York, told Jake Tapper. "And she actually went up behind the podium where the president speaks from. They thought she was going to hand something to the speaker, and then they realized."
Officer Shennell S. Antrobus of Capitol Police told CNN she wasn’t arrested or charged and was transported to a local area hospital by DC Fire for further evaluation.
In terms of an ongoing investigation or further action about the stenographer, Antrobus said no such action will be taken.
"There is nothing more, from our end, that we are going to do," Antrobus said.
–CNN’s Deirdre Walsh, Steve Brusk, Dan Merica and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
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What if she's right?
Praise God, good for her.
It looks like they drove that poor woman mad. It isn't exactly surprising at this point. Perhaps they should get someone to check into gas leaks into the House floor. It might explain a lot.
Well, we know she has healthcare!
Good for her. Many other loonies are allowed to speak on that floor, why not her?
A mind is a terrible thing to waste....on religion.
Poor lady, doubt she'll be heard from again.
Occupational hazard of working in an insane asylum.
People do snap. It could be anything, especially in the light of all the intense drama. It is in a way, a good place to snap
as her rant was no different than a certain politicians that are walking rant machines.
Wow! Finally someone in Washington is making sense!
I pretty much agree with everything she said. They ARE making a mockery of government and they're absolutely insane to think America is "one nation under god".
Looks like they're going to have to change the name of the House of Representatives to the Crazy House!
i'm surprised she wasn't tazed and then beaten within an inch of her life.
What a surprise the crazy is religious!!!!
LOSERS .. there is one at each corner
that's what i'm talkin about. dinner and a show!
I don't think she snapped. What she said was no different than the George Whitfield and John and Charles Wesley would have said when they were preaching up and down the eastern seaboard of the early American colonies and influencing the men who would become our Founding Fathers. No one else had the floor, did they? No one else had the guts or the historical education and intelligence to say what she said. What ever happened to Freedom of Speech?
Poor woman, probably lost it working so many hours typing all the nonsense. Was she working during Ted Cruz's rant? Enough to drive anyone insane.
Someone rants about god at a church and they get paid. funny how someone rants about god in this case and they are evaluated at a hospital for a psychiatric condition. Wish that would happen more often, that we lived in a society that saw this delusion for what it is in any scenario.
"Do not be deceived. God shall not be mocked. A House divided cannot stand, !
Strange !
This, boys and girls, is why you shouldn't mix high stress, religion, and alcohol.
Listen 2 one who works wit these people.she knows what shes seen n heard Rep.Dem.da same in there game.thay R twisted n on da same 100yr teem.u all know just don want 2 .
Well, well... why am I not surprised.
She's right about one thing: FREEMASONRY – they do exist.
Don't we have enough religious crazies running around, I wonder if she'll have a job come tomorrow for that little outburst.
Someone needs to sit this woman down, give her some meds, and explain to her that only 13 out of the 39 men (33%) who signed the U.S. Constitution were Masons. If you're going to rant, at least have your facts straight.