Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) announced on Twitter that he filed an ethics complaint against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after she ripped up a transcript of President Donald Trumpâs State of the Union address.
Gaetz shared images of the complaint he sent to the House Ethics Committee on Twitter on Wednesday night.
âBREAKING: Iâm filing an ethics complaint against for destroying State of the Union speech. Her conduct was beneath the dignity of the House, and a potential violation of law (18 USC 2071). Nobody is above the law. She must be held accountable.â
He went on to accuse Pelosi of a âflagrant violation of decorumâ and said the move was âdeeply offensive.â
The law Gaetz referenced states that it is illegal to destroy âany record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States.â
At the end of Trumpâs address, Pelosi dramatically ripped up the speech, which she called a âmanifesto of mistruths.â
On Thursday, Pelosi said the State of the Union address was âbeneath the dignityâ of the office of the president.
âThe whole State of the Union was beneath the dignity of the White House, an insult to the Congress of the United States and the American people,â she told reporters during her weekly press conference.
On her decision to rip up the speech, Pelosi said, âIt was necessary to get the attention of the American people to say, this is not true. And this is how it affects you.â