Sobbing widow of slain Navy Seal receives 2 minute standing ovation.



Debbie Wasserman Schultz & Keith Ellison stay firmly seated, no claps — Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 1, 2017

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) remained seated during the honoring of Carryn Owens, whose husband, Ryan, a Navy SEAL, was killed in action in Yemen back in January. The claim is that both members of Congress were seated when the two-minute ovation occurred, the moment when our elected officials truly honored the widow. Some sites included Nancy Pelosi in the mix. I did not. So, as liberals try to say that this is fake news, let’s go to the tape and Snopes, who said that Schultz and Ellison did stand, but not through the whole dedication—like the most important part where they were seated. Snopes said that “it’s difficult to tell from the visual evidence whether the three Democrats sat down earlier than others or did not rise a second time.” Again, I didn’t include Pelosi in my post and neither did Independent Journal Review’s Benny Johnson, who was present at President Trump’s joint address to Congress.

Hey @snopes, here is a photo of me in the press gallery last night, ya know ... reporting.

Where was your reporter last night? pic.twitter.com/EiudKxymNK — Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 1, 2017

Proof that DWS & Ellison stood for the first ovation & not for the 2nd. As I clearly tweeted: Check for yourselfhttps://t.co/LraFf628HM pic.twitter.com/CIV6sOAjyU — Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 1, 2017

Now, Ellison and Wasserman Schultz did stand for the introduction of Owens, but the second part of Trump’s speech, where he honored the fallen SEAL that included the second (and most important) standing ovation—the White House’s own video at the 50:25 mark shows the two Democrats sitting like cold stones. Kelly Maher's Reveal Politics had the clip:

Here’s what Trump said [emphasis mine and annotations]:

We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero –- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.

*Standing ovation [Wasserman Schultz and Ellison stand, it's been alleged that they clapped for the intro] I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies." Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. Thank you. *Standing ovation [Ellison and DWS remained seated] For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom –- we will never forget Ryan. *Standing ovation[DWS and Ellison remain seated]

This is what Snopes wrote. They rated the claim as false [emphasis mine]:

The attendees then sat down while the President resumed his speech, and as Trump delivered an encomium to William Owens that ended with “Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity,” attendees in the House chamber rose and applauded again as the camera view switched to cover Carryn Owens standing in the gallery. When the camera angle moved back to a wider view of the chamber, it showed that some Democrats began to sit down again while most Republicans remained standing and clapping. Wasserman Schultz, Ellison, and Sanders could be seen seated (while Pelosi was still standing) at that point, but because the camera had been focused on Mrs. Owens during the second round of applause, it’s difficult to tell from the visual evidence whether the three Democrats sat down earlier than others or did not rise a second time.

For 15 seconds (50:25-50:40), you can see both of them sitting during the second standing ovation, which lasted between 49:50-51:30 (roughly two minutes). Yet, given Snopes had a screenshot of them standing at the 49:04 mark [they’re literally right above the time stamp of the YouTube video], which was when Trump began the portion of his speech with Owens, the same angle should have caught DWS and Ellison standing at the 50:55 mark, the 51:11 mark, or towards the end at the 51:20 mark. It doesn't because they were sitting.

In more of a side note, the third standing ovation, where Trump said that we would never forget Ryan Owen’s service, which begins at the 52:05 mark and ends at 52:26, both Ellison and DWS are clearly sitting. At 52:20-mark, they’re still seated.

So, this isn’t fake news. The both of them sat through the actual dedication portion Trump had for Owens in his speech and two standing ovations. I can't attest to the claims that other right-leaning sites have made about the whole affair, but concerning Ellison and DWS remaining seated for the roughly two-minute standing ovation (and the shorter one that followed) after the president honored Ryan's service and his widow, Carryn--they just sat there.

The full address is below: