Paul Ryan Issues Warning Shot: He 'Will Not Tolerate' Another Dem Sit-In

[PJMcK]

52. Thanks for the Constitutional quote, Stonepounder

It's always good to go back to the owners' manual. That's why I wrote that it would probably be unconstitutional for Speaker Ryan to arrest the Democratic congressmen and congresswomen.

However, if the Speaker could claim that a sit-in is a "Breach of the Peace," he might have a (shaky) legal argument. The deliberate vagueness of this phrase is the opening that could be used to act against the Democrats. But the original purpose of this clause was to prevent the Executive branch from arresting members of the Senate and the House to prevent them from taking actions contrary to the president's wishes. So it's hard to see if it's applicable in this circumstance.

I read elsewhere on DU that the Capital Police have stated that they won't get involved in what they consider to be a political dispute. So, whatcha gonna do, Mr. Speaker?