Watch a House stenographer rant about God and Freemasons

(Image credit: C-SPAN)

last updated 8 January 2015

By the time the House started voting on a Senate bill to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the federal government after 16 days, there was really no surprise about how this government shutdown would end. But just as the bill got enough votes to be whisked off to President Obama's desk for a quick signature, something unexpected did happen in the House.

A stenographer, Diane Reidy, grabbed a microphone, started yelling, and was escorted from the floor by Capitol Police. In C-SPAN's video of the odd moment (watch above), you can't hear what she's yelling. NPR's Todd Zwillich has the audio:

Reidy talked a lot about God and Freemasons:

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He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. (Don't touch me.) He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been — no, it would not have been — the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God. Lord Jesus Christ.

As the New York Daily News points out, 13 of the 39 men who signed the Constitution are thought to have been Freemasons. Fox News has more details about the incident and Reidy, a longtime stenographer well-known to lawmakers:

Reidy was taken by Capitol Police to a hospital for a mental evaluation. Twitter reacted as Twitter is prone to do — with jokes:

But NPR's Zwillich is right:

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.