Chaos erupted on the Republican National Committee Floor Monday afternoon when a request for a roll call vote was denied by the party chair. The vote, which likely would’ve failed, would’ve unbound delegates, freeing them to vote their conscience.
But the vote never happened.
On the roll call vote’s first introduction, the chair took a verbal vote, quickly decided the measure had failed, and attempted to move the convention forward. Delegates on the floor loudly protested. Well-known figures like Sen. Mike Lee and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli were involved in the floor fight. Meanwhile, the chairman and his compadres vacated the podium.
An uncharacteristically worked up Sen. Lee explained, “I’ve never seen the chair abandoned like that. There’s no precedent for this in parliamentary procedure.” He added, “this is completely surreal.”
Lee was complimentary of the musical entertainment though:
Here’s Ken Cuccinelli throwing his credentials on the floor, all rock star-like:
So then the chair comes back out to the podium, the Utah delegation moves to have a roll call vote, Sen. Lee seconds the motion, and again, chaos ensues:
No roll call vote was held as the chair said withdrawals from three states meant the petition failed to meet the threshold required for a floor vote.
The Iowa and Colorado delegations vacated the floor in protest.
Which three state’s petitions were decidedly invalid? The world may never know. The RNC is refusing to share that information.
Join us later this evening for our RNC primetime coverage…if you dare.
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