- The Pennsylvania state Senate broke out in a screaming contest Tuesday after Republican senators removed Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman from his role as president of the Senate.
- GOP senators have objected to Fetterman sitting Democratic senator Jim Brewster because his Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli disputed the outcome of the race.
- Republican Senator Jake Corman interrupted Fetterman and began a vote to remove him from the chambers, against which Fetterman vehemently protested.
- After a few minutes of shouting, Fetterman left the rooms and Brewster’s swearing was blocked.
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The Senate of the State of Pennsylvania turned into a screaming contest during a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday.
The collapse came as Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman left his position as chairman of the Senate following disruption of GOP senators during a debate over the sitting of Senator Jim Brewster.
Brewster wins his race against Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli in the 45th District by 69 votes.
The election was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State and upheld by the Pennsylvania High Court, but Ziccarelli disputes the outcome of the race and the case is still pending.
Ziccarelli disputes the legitimacy of the election results, based on a difference between the way different provinces in the 45th district handled the ballot papers.
In one province, ballot boxes that do not contain a date were discarded, while in another country. Ziccarelli is asking a judge to throw out 311 undated ballots, which will change the outcome of the election.
Republican Senator Jake Corman and incoming Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, who insisted Brewster could not sit while Ziccarelli’s case was filed, are being led to block the Brewster seat.
At one point, Corman refused to allow the proceedings to continue until ‘the lord of the 45th [District] removes itself from the rostrum. ‘
During the heated exchange, Corman walked to another podium in front of the chamber and began calling for a vote to remove Fetterman from his role as president of the Senate.
Fetterman tried to object for several minutes, but eventually had to relinquish his post. In a video of the incident, Corman can be seen asking for a vote to remove Fetterman while Fetterman expresses his indignation.
—The Recount (@therecount) 5 January 2021
“You are violating the Constitution and the law of the Commonwealth and violating the oath of office you actually took. There is nothing of this day that is appropriate, and we will not lay it down because you still have four people on the side of. the corridor, ‘Fetterman can be heard screaming.
“I did not want to ruin the day of the picture,” Fetterman told local newspaper The Sharon Herald. “It came down to the fact that there had to be a way for both sides to maintain their dignity and we could find a way forward. Unfortunately, that was not the case.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, Corman said he was preventing Brewster from sitting down to ensure “properly elected representation”.
“Ziccarelli’s position is that Pennsylvania’s electoral law is quite clear that voters must sign and date their ballot to count,” Corman said. “We understand that this issue needs to be resolved immediately, while ensuring that the voters of the 45th Senate District have the right representation.”
Governor Tom Wolf told The Sharon Herald that the expulsion of Fetterman and the refusal to put Brewster on “was a shameful coup that violated the institution.”