- The Pennsylvania State Senate exploded in a screaming dispute on Tuesday after Republican senators removed Governor John Fetterman from his post as president of the Senate.
- Republican Party senators objected to Fetterman, who granted Democratic Senator Jim Brewster because his Republican opponent Nicole Ziccarelli contested the results of the dispute.
- Republican Senator Jake Corman interrupted Fetterman and started a vote to remove him from the chambers, to which Fetterman protested widely.
- After several minutes of shouting, Fetterman left the chambers and Brewster’s oath was blocked.
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The Pennsylvania state senate was involved in a shouting contest during its inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.
The collapse came when Lt. Governor John Fetterman left his position as president of the Senate after the Republican senators’ interruption during a debate over the choice of Senator Jim Brewster.
Brewster narrowly won his race against Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli in the 45th District by 69 votes.
The election was certified by the Pennsylvania State Department and confirmed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. However, Ziccarelli is challenging the results of the dispute and the case is still pending.
Ziccarelli disputes the legitimacy of the election results on the basis of a discrepancy between the way several counties in the 45th district handled ballots by mail.
In one county, postal ballots that did not have a date were discarded, while in another county they were allowed. Ziccarelli is asking a judge to reject 311 undated ballots, which would alter the election results.
Movements to prevent Brewster from taking the seat were led by Republican Senator Jake Corman and Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, who insisted that Brewster could not sit while Ziccarelli’s case was pending.
At one point, Corman refused to allow proceedings to continue until “the 45th gentleman [District] withdraws from the platform. “
During the heated discussion, Corman then climbed to a different podium in front of the room and started calling for a vote on removing Fetterman from his role as Senate president.
Fetterman tried to object for several minutes, but was eventually forced to relinquish his position. In a video of the incident, Corman can be seen calling for a vote to remove Fetterman while Fetterman expresses his outrage.
—The Recount (@therecount) January 5, 2021
“You are violating the Constitution and Community law and violating the oath of office that you have actually taken. There is nothing on this day that is appropriate and we will not give up because you have four more people on this side of the hall,” Fetterman can be heard shouting .
“I didn’t want to ruin the photo day,” Fetterman told the local newspaper The Sharon Herald. “Ultimately, there must be a way for both sides to maintain their dignity and we can find a way forward. Unfortunately, that was not the case.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, Corman said he prevented Brewster from sitting in order to guarantee “a properly elected representation”.
“Ziccarelli’s position is that Pennsylvania’s electoral law is completely clear, that voters must sign and date their ballot paper to be counted,” said Corman. “We understand that this issue needs to be resolved promptly, ensuring that the constituents of the 45th Senate District are adequately elected.”
Governor Tom Wolf told The Sharon Herald that Fetterman’s expulsion and refusal to accommodate Brewster was “a shameful seizure of power that disgraces the institution.”