As Speaker fight drags on, Cohen heckles Matt Gaetz

Congressman Steve Cohen heckled U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz when the Republican from Florida nominated former President Donald Trump for House Speaker.

As Gaetz praised the former president Thursday evening, Cohen shouted from the gallery, "He tried to overthrow our government." Cohen was gaveled down and Gaetz was allowed to continue. The moment was captured by CNN cameras and shared widely across social media Thursday and Friday.

On Friday morning, the Memphis Democrat offered his reasoning for his reaction to Gaetz on Twitter. He noted Gaetz's nomination of the former president for speaker came ahead of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol during the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

"I listened to Matt Gaetz on the eve of January 6, I had to react to his Trump revisionism. I was sitting in the gallery of the house 1/6/21 and I feared for my life and the republic. Trump initiated and rallied the crowd. We should never forget Trump’s War against America," Cohen said in a tweet.

Cohen, the only Democrat left in the Tennessee delegation after redistricting split former Congressman Jim Cooper's district into two, has long been outspoken against Trump and frequently weighs in about the former president on Twitter and during interviews with cable news networks.

The Memphis congressman's heckling came during a protracted conflict in the Republican party that has kept U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California from ascending to the speakership.

Gaetz is among about 20 Republican defectors that have kept McCarthy from attaining the 218 votes needed to be the speaker over the past four days. The defectors -- hardline far-right members of the Republican caucus -- have sought concessions from McCarthy in exchange for support.

On the final ballot Thursday night before the body adjourned, Gaetz was the only member who voted for Trump but 19 other Republicans supported a combination of U.S. Rep Kevin Hern, R-Oklahoma, and U.S Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida. One member did not vote and another voted present.

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, who represents the 8th Congressional District and parts of Memphis and all of the eastern Shelby County suburbs, has voted for McCarthy on all ballots cast for speaker.

Cohen, like all other Democratic members of the House, has voted for U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.

Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter at @samhardiman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Steve Cohen heckles Matt Gaetz during speakership fight