Silencing Elizabeth Warren Backfires

Republican senators silenced a Democratic colleague for condemning a peer last Tuesday during the debate over Senator Jeff Sessions' nomination for attorney general while reading a letter from the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.

According to The New York Times, Senator Elizabeth Warren was holding the Senate Floor on the eve of the nominated attorney general's expected confirmation vote, quoting a 1986 letter from Mrs. King criticizing Mr. Session's suitability for the job and attacking his record on civil rights.

The majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, insisted that Warren broke Senate rule that forbids senators from questioning the motives and conduct of another senator. He called for a vote, resulting to 49-43 in favor of the majority leader.

Warren was surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate. After the incident, she took to Twitter, saying that the voice of Mrs. King was silenced on the Senate Floor and millions are afraid and horrified by what's happening in the country.

She continued her speech on Facebook Live which garnered more than two million views in one hour and more than nine million views by Wednesday morning, according to The Guardian. McConell's silencing Warren fired back when his finishing lines are used as a rallying cry.

In social media, #LetLizSpeak and #shepersisted began trending. The meme is applied to issues like domestic abuse and reproductive rights.

Pictures of Marie Curie and Rosa Parks, women who changed history circulated with these hashtags. On Wednesday, Democrats accused McConnell of implementing the rule selectively but Republicans persisted with their decision.

Republicans believed that the incident shows that the Democrats failure to accept the results of the 2016 election. On Wednesday, with a near-party-line vote of 52 to 47, Mr. Jeff Sessions is confirmed as the United States attorney general.

TagsRepublican Senators, Senator Jeff, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Martin Luther King Jr Widow, Coretta Scott King, Senator Mitch McConnell, United State Senate