Rep. Joe Wilson rebuked by House with 240 to 179 vote

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 240 to 179 to rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson for his "you lie" outburst during Pres. Obama's speech last Wednesday. Wilson refused to offer an apology on the floor of the House.

The "resolution of disapproval" passed the House along party-lines. With a vote of 240 to 179, the resolution is the least form of punishment "the House administers to its members," reports The Washington Post. Seven Republicans voted in support of the disapproval motion and 12 Democrats opposed the resolution. In the debate preceeding the vote, Rep. Wilson made remarks saying, "It is clear to the American people that there are far more important issues than what we are dealing with now. . . . [Obama] graciously accepted my apology, and this issue is over." According to The Washington Post, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who led the effort to rebuke Wilson, said, "This is about the rules of this House and reprehensible conduct." The Wilson resolution, which was only three paragraphs in length, concluded:

Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress.