HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Democratic Rep. David Cicilline PULLS DOWN mask to sneeze during Trump impeachment hearing in viral video

Michigan representative Brenda Lawrence was spotted shooting an angry glare at Cicilline as she sat a few feet away from him

A Democratic congressman who was recently appointed to lead the charge to impeach President Donald Trump was caught on video pulling down his mask to sneeze. Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island raised eyebrows after he was seen lowering his face mask and sneezing into his hand during yesterday's impeachment debate in the House of Representatives, The Sun reported. The former Mayor of Providence was sitting behind fellow Democrat Yvette Clark when he felt the sneeze coming on. Clark was speaking when he sneezed into his hand, and viewers noted how he did not use a tissue to catch the germs nor did he use a sanitizer later on. Instead, he replaced his mask and turned to speak to a colleague to his right.

As reported by The Sun, Michigan representative Brenda Lawrence was spotted shooting an angry glare at Cicilline as she sat a few feet away from him. That said, a clip of the embarrassing moment went viral on social media and garnered millions of views. "Did I really just see David Cicilline take his mask off, sneeze in his hand, then put his mask back on," one wrote on Twitter. "Gross. Sneeze into your mask, the crook of your arm, a tissue. Definitely not your hand," another added. "Saw a video of Cicilline take off his mask, sneeze into his bare hand, and put the mask back on. And we wonder why covid isn't rampant in Congress," a third chimed in.

Cicilline was one of three Democrats who wrote the articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him with inciting insurrection prior to last week's siege of the Capitol. The motion was passed by the House 232 to 197, with ten Republicans siding with the majority. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Cicilline as one of the impeachment managers who will "prosecute" the trial in the Senate. "The President is a clear and present danger to our republic. We will hold him accountable," he tweeted yesterday.

Earlier this week, Trump said impeachment discussions were causing "tremendous anger" among his supporters but insisted that he wanted "no violence."

"We want absolutely no violence," he told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "On the impeachment, it's really a continuation of the greatest witch-hunt in the history of politics, it's ridiculous - it's absolutely ridiculous. The impeachment is causing tremendous anger... and it's really a terrible thing that they're doing." However, the former real estate mogul maintained that a speech he gave to supporters before last week's violent siege was "totally appropriate."
 
"They've analyzed my speech in my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody to the tee just thought it was totally appropriate," he asserted.

The outgoing president emphatically denounced the violence that plagued the Capitol last week. “I’d like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol,” Trump said in a speech last week. “Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness, and mayhem. I immediately deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders."

"America is and must always be a nation of law and order," he insisted. "The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country, and to those who broke the law, you will pay.”

Trump noted that the country has been through an "intense election" and that "emotions are high." However, he urged that "tempers must be cooled and calm restored" in order to "get on with the business of America."