Choose disruption

Some Dems choose disruption, flouting leadership’s call for ‘silent defiance’

Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have repeatedly heckled the president during his speech.

Jacob Wendler

A handful of Democrats have chosen to interrupt the president’s State of the Union address with shouts and chants, spurning Democratic leadership’s attempt to maintain decorum during the speech.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s attacks — loudly protested his administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown.

“You have killed Americans,” Omar shouted. “Alex wasn’t a criminal,” Tlaib added, referring to U.S. citizen Alex Pretti, who was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

At one point, Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) held up a sign with photos of Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, who was also fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minnesota. Rep. Al Green was removed from the House chamber earlier tonight for disrupting the president’s speech.

Democrats have long debated how to most effectively protest Trump, who relishes the opportunity to spar with his opponents. The president repeatedly went after his opponents in tonight’s speech, though kept his immigration comments mostly focused on border security and criminals rather than the aggressive deportation campaign that has sparked broad backlash.

The interruptions came shortly after Trump touted his crackdown on illegal immigration, blaming Democrats for a partial government shutdown that has cut off funding to the Department of Homeland Security.

“They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country, and you should be ashamed of yourselves,” Trump said of Democrats as he was interrupted by jeers from Omar and others.

Their shouts were subsequently drowned out by chants of “USA” by members of the GOP caucus.

Both Tlaib and Omar slipped out of the chamber without fanfare before Trump’s speech ended.