The person whose job it is to painstakingly transcribe every word spoken on the floor of the House, apparently could take it no longer.
In one of the strangest moments of a strange few weeks on Capitol Hill, the House stenographer, identified later as Dianne Reidy, broke into a rant about God, the Constitution and Freemasonry as representatives cast their votes on a last-minute deal to reopen the government.
"He will not be mocked," Reidy yelled into the microphone at the chamber's rostrum. "The greatest deception here is that this is not one nation under God. It never was. It would not have been. The Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God."
She was quickly escorted away from the lectern by floor staff, but continued: "You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God. Praise be to Jesus."
Capitol Police said Reidy had been "transported to a local area hospital for evaluation."
Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, was quoted byThe Washington Post as saying the stenographer is a well-known and liked figure in the House.
"I think there's a lot of sympathy, because something clearly happened there," Connolly said.
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