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Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) used his general speech to play the leaked audio of detained children crying on the House floor. The Republican response was to try to shut him down.

Video:

.@RepTedLieu plays @ProPublica audio from detention center on House floor: "The American people need to hear this…" "The sergeant of arms will enforce the rules of decorum." pic.twitter.com/kFP8L5ysKk — CSPAN (@cspan) June 22, 2018

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Rep. Lieu (D-CA) asked what must that sound like, and then played the audio of crying children in one of Trump’s child jails.

Republicans claimed that Lieu had to suspend because he was in violation of Rule 17.

Rep. Lieu responded, “There’s no rule that says I can’t play sounds. Why are you trying to prevent the American people from listening to what it sounds like in a detention facility? These are babies and kids in a detention facility. Why do you not let the people hear what they are saying? There is no rule saying that I can not play sounds from a detention facility?”

The chair kept telling Lieu to suspend, and he said, “When 2,300 babies and kids were ripped away from their parents, I think the American people need to hear this.”

While the argument was going on, the audio of crying kids continued to play. Republicans were clearly angry and flustered because they did not want the American people to hear this audio. If Republicans are so ashamed of this policy, why don’t they stand up to their president and do something about it?

Rep. Lieu was right. The American people do need to hear the audio. The audio also needed to be a part of the House record. Republicans can’t defend their policy of child abuse, so they tried to enforce silence. Trump’s policy is a crime against humanity, and Republicans are engaging in their usual pattern of criminal cover-up to protect this president.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.