In a party-line vote, House votes to punish Rep. Wilson

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday took the rare step of passing -- largely along party lines --a disciplinary measure against Rep. Joe Wilson for his "you lie" yell at President Barack Obama as he addressed Congress last week.

The House passed the "resolution of disapproval" by a 240-179 vote, with only seven GOP lawmakers -- among them, Rep. Bob Inglis of Greenville -- breaking ranks to support the measure punishing Wilson, a Springdale Republican.

Nine Democrats voted against their party majority in opposing the measure, while five other lawmakers from the party voted "present" -- neither for nor against the resolution.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of Columbia, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, led the floor debate before the vote.

"When one of us, while seated in a formal session, severely violates the rules of this body by shamefully hurling an accusation of mendacity toward the president of these United States -- our commander-in-chief -- and refuses to express remorse, we at a minimum are duty-bound to express our disapproval," Clyburn said.

Wilson had apologized to Obama after his speech Wednesday evening, but he rejected demands by House Democrats that he come to the floor and express contrition to his colleagues.

Black Democratic lawmakers had pressed their House leaders to punish Wilson for what they viewed as an egregious insult of the nation's first African-American president on live, primetime TV.

Some members linked Wilson's "you lie" outburst with raucous town hall meetings last month, where some opponents of Obama delivered loud rants against him and carried signs depicting him as a socialist or as the Joker villain from the "Batman" movie.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, an African-American from Missouri, said he voted reluctantly for the measure disciplining Wilson.

"This will serve to push the nation toward a partisan divide and will ultimately prevent the government from dealing with major problems we face," Cleaver said.

Wilson, who has posted fundraising videos saying he's "under attack by liberals" and has raised more than $1.5 million since his outburst, was unrepentant in remarks on the House floor before the vote.

"When we are done here today, we will not have taken any steps closer to helping more American families afford health insurance or helping small businesses create new jobs," Wilson said. "The challenges our nation faces are far bigger than any one member of this House. It is time that we move forward and get to work for the benefit of the American people."

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio accused Democrats of trying to exploit the Wilson incident for political gain.

"This is a sad day for the House of Representatives," Boehner said. "We all know Joe Wilson. He is a decent man, and to put him through this on the floor of the House is unacceptable, and it is a partisan stunt."

Clyburn, visibly angry, delivered a sharp response.

"This is not a partisan stunt," he said. "I do not participate in partisan stunts. This is about the proper decorum that should take place on the floor of the United States House of Representatives."

The measure cited Wilson for violating the House's general code of conduct requiring that a member "shall conduct himself at all times in a manner which shall reflect credibly on the House of Representatives."

Clyburn and House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, a York Democrat, voted for the resolution, along with Republican Inglis.

Wilson and fellow Republican Rep. Henry Brown of Hanahan voted against the measure.

Rep. Gresham Barrett, a Westminister Republican and gubernatorial candidate, abstained from voting after sending Obama a letter asking him to step in and prevent the vote.

"I will not participate in partisan mockery of this sort," Barrett wrote to Obama.

House Democratic leaders chose not to seek any of three formal levels of stronger punishment -- expulsion from the House, censure or reprimand.

Only 35 such measures have been passed in U.S. history, with just five members expelled.

Fred Beuttler, deputy House historian, said lesser measures such as the "resolution of disapproval" approved Tuesday, were exceedingly rare. Neither he nor the Congressional Research Service could say how many such measures had been passed before Tuesday's vote.

Inglis joined six other Republicans in voting for the disciplinary measure. He had personally met with Wilson late Monday and again Tuesday in an unsuccessful effort to persuade him to apologize to his colleagues for his yell.

Inglis, who represents the conservative Upstate, said Wilson's apology to Obama immediately after his speech wasn't enough.

"Joe also broke House rules," Inglis said. "That problem could easily be fixed by an apology to the House. In the absence of an apology, the House could choose to police itself through a resolution of disapproval."

The resolution of disapproval said Wilson had violated House rules governing conduct of the chamber's 435 members.

At a conference Tuesday of all party members, Boehner directed other Republican lawmakers to vote against the resolution of disapproval, Inglis said.

After Inglis explained his position to his colleagues at the GOP meeting before the vote, Boehner returned to the podium and again urged a unified Republican vote against the resolution of disapproval.

"I have to go home to five kids who are always told to do the right thing," Inglis said. "It's a matter of redeeming the rule of law. There are rules of the House; they must be followed, and when they're broken, there are consequences."

Kristie Greco, leadership spokesman for Clyburn, said rank-and-file Democratic members weren't pressured to vote for the measure.

"They voted conscience," she said.

At the White House, spokesman Bill Burton called the vote "House business," saying that the president already had accepted Wilson's apology.

McClatchy reporters William Douglas, David Goldstein and Margaret Talev contributed to this article.