11 months ago
Unprecedented times in Congress abounded in 2023, from booting a speaker for the first time in history to near fist fights in the Capitol halls to senior lawmakers’ personal health issues becoming incredibly public.
The House GOP had a particularly wild year. It wasn’t just the ousting of a speaker; don’t forget the expulsion of now-former Rep. George Santos from Congress — the sixth member to ever earn that black mark. Democrats had their own fair share of memorable moments, too, including a certain congressman pulling the Cannon House Office Building fire alarm.
As we reach the halfway point of the 118th Congress, it’s worth looking back at the most jaw-dropping and newsiest moments of the year on Capitol Hill.
10.
Tuberville gets ripped by his own party
Senators from the same party tend to stick together. But Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) had really pissed off his fellow Republicans.
For months, Tuberville had been holding up hundreds of military nominations over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. Finally, a handful of Senate Republicans took to the floor and publicly lambasted his effort until nearly 4 a.m.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) led the group on that November night, which included Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). They held the floor for hours, where they ripped Tuberville’s blockade and brought up one nominee after another, only to have the Alabama Republican block each one.
It was an extraordinary rebuke from his own party. Tuberville ultimately dropped the vast majority of his military holds earlier this month, despite no shift from the Biden administration, essentially throwing in the towel after 10 months of pressure.
9.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, .... Boebert?
A date night for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took an odd turn when she was asked to leave a Beetlejuice performance at Denver’s Buell Theater after she allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with her then-boyfriend, Quinn Gallagher.
Surveillance video shared by the AP purports to show Boebert vaping, singing, dancing and being fondled by her date while seated in the audience, which included families with children. The Denver Post reported that the couple was issued a warning at intermission before being escorted out. Boebert is seen on video giving staff the middle finger on her way out the door.
Boebert said later that she and Gallagher are no longer dating — because he is a Democrat.
8.
Bowman pulls the fire alarm
During a vote to avert a government shutdown in September, POLITICO reported that Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pulled a fire alarm in a House office building.
The incident sent the Capitol campus into disarray during an already dramatic Saturday, as then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed forward on a stopgap spending bill that would eventually help cost him the top job.
Bowman later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for pulling the fire alarm and agreed to pay the maximum fine, though he denied doing it on purpose. He was also censured by his House colleagues for the incident after the House Ethics Committee said it would not launch an investigation.
7.
MTG calls Boebert a ‘little bitch’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Boebert’s tense relationship reached an all-time low in June when Greene called Boebert “a little bitch” on the House floor.
The incident came after Boebert introduced a measure to impeach President Joe Biden, which Greene claimed copied her own proposal to do just that.
The public fallout underscored the long-building rift between the two conservative lawmakers, who were once allies, and highlighted the growing internal discord within the House GOP.
Shortly after the incident, Greene was kicked out of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Members suggested that her comment to Boebert played a role, though Greene’s ties to McCarthy likely hurt her as well.
6.
A violent day on the Hill
Two physical fights, one in the House and one in the Senate, almost broke out on the same November day.
A Senate HELP Committee hearing nearly devolved into a schoolyard brawl between Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The two had been feuding for months, and the clash escalated when Mullin referenced a social media post where O’Brien challenged the Republican senator to a confrontation. One such post from O’Brien read: “Quit the tough guy act. ... Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.”
Mullin responded by telling O’Brien, who was testifying as a witness, that they could throw down during the hearing.
“This is a time, this is a place to run your mouth. We can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here,” Mullin said. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the committee chair, had to intervene to stop the two from coming to blows.
That same day, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), one of the eight House Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy from the speakership, accused the Californian of elbowing him in a Capitol hallway, calling it a “clean shot to the kidneys.” McCarthy denied the allegation, claiming it was just a “tight hallway.”
5.
NSFW evidence at Hunter Biden’s hearing
Greene displayed what appeared to be nude images of Hunter Biden on a poster board during a July House Oversight Committee hearing focused on testimony from IRS whistleblowers and a federal investigation into the president’s son.
The explicit images drew swift criticism from fellow lawmakers, who said it wasn’t appropriate content for a congressional hearing.
In response to the incident, Hunter Biden’s legal team filed a complaint, arguing that Greene’s actions not only breached the norms of congressional decorum but also violated his privacy and dignity.
4.
McCarthy’s 15 rounds of chaos
It took five days and 15 rounds of votes, but McCarthy finally, eventually — and, we’d later learn, temporarily — secured the speakership. It was an intense and uncertain saga for the House as McCarthy tried to overcome stubborn conservative resistance.
Tensions arguably reached a boiling point on the House floor during the 14th ballot, as Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) lunged at Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and had to be physically restrained. McCarthy ultimately struck a deal with conservatives to attain the gavel, only to watch it all come crashing down nine months later, again at the hands of Gaetz and a few fellow hardliners. Earlier this month, the former speaker announced he would leave Congress at the end of the year.
3.
McConnell freezes twice
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took the podium for his weekly press briefing back in July, something weird happened: He froze mid-sentence.
Then it happened again a few weeks later, while the Kentucky Republican was speaking to local reporters in his home state.
The moments triggered widespread speculation on whether McConnell was hiding a larger health issue, prompting calls for transparency about the senator’s well-being.
McConnell’s office said he was just “lightheaded” and released a report from the Capitol physician that said the GOP leader was in good health. But questions about his political future remain, particularly after conservatives in the Senate challenged McConnell’s position as minority leader last year.
The harsh spotlight on an aging Senate also fell on the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein this year. She will go down in history as a trailblazing California senator, but her final months on the Hill were characterized by concern about the 90-year-old’s declining health and headlines suggesting public moments of confusion.
2.
The Santos Circus — going, going, gone
George Santos’ very short tenure on Capitol Hill will go down in history — but not for any good reasons.
The New York Republican was eventually expelled from Congress after the House Ethics Committee released a report on his scandalous conduct, which included dishonest representations of his background and the misuse of campaign funds on OnlyFans, makeup, luxury bags and more. It was the first time the House expelled a member without a criminal conviction since the Civil War.
Santos regularly went viral — and he seemed to relish the attention — for some of the strangest episodes. Remember when he was caught holding an anonymous baby during the speaker’s race? Meanwhile, he faces a litany of federal charges, including alleged wire fraud and money laundering, with a trial scheduled for next year. He’s pleaded not guilty.
1.
McCarthy’s ouster and a headless House
Kevin McCarthy tried to attain the speakership for years. Once he got it, he lasted nine months.
For the first time ever, the House kicked out its chief in the middle of the session through a powerful procedural tool known as the “motion to vacate.” McCarthy had never truly won over his hard-right flank, and after he worked to avert a government shutdown, the coup came. Eight Republicans, led by Gaetz, and all Democrats voted to boot McCarthy in an unprecedented move that sent shockwaves through Washington.
As House Republicans navigated the tumultuous process of finding McCarthy’s replacement, three prominent figures emerged as frontrunners: Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.). But none of them were able to get enough support to get the gavel.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) temporarily assumed the role of speaker pro tempore, but refused to steer the conference through anything but the gavel election without being elected to the speakership. After three agonizing weeks, the GOP ultimately picked the relatively unknown Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson to lead them.
The new speaker vowed to restore unity, but that promise hasn’t panned out, as House conservatives have continued to engage in the same tactics they used under McCarthy, including tanking legislation on the floor and publicly criticizing their leader.
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