The Rumble in the House
All the absurdity and political theater of the last two weeks in the House of Representatives culminates into a bizarre, historic moment.
After it was clear that Republican Kevin McCarthy was going to lose his 14th House Speaker bid, chaos ensued. Rep. Mike Rogers was restrained after lunging at Freedom Caucus holdout Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Veteran Washington photographer Ken Cedeno, working for UPI, was one of four photographers that captured the clash from that side of the House Gallery.
Associated Press photographer Andrew Harnik shot this photo at almost the exact moment of Cedeno’s (notice Rep. Tim Burchett’s hand touching Rogers’ arm).
Harnik first shared his photo in black and white on Twitter - a slightly tighter version - and it blew up fast, instantly going viral.
Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford shot this version - the hands give it distinction. Also notice the bulge in Rogers’ cheek as he’s getting manhandled by Hudson and the lone hand mysteriously floating in the upper left.
The Hill’s Greg Nash framed his version a bit looser, giving it a greater sense of place, which I appreciate. The indifference of the two guys in the background adds another nice layer.
Getty Images Photographer Chip Somodevilla was on the opposite side of the Gallery during the scuffle and made this frame. The inclusion of Gaetz is a nice touch.
While Somodevilla was on the “wrong” side for that moment, he was on the “right” side for this incredible photo of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on a call with “DT.”
So was photographer Al Drago, working for Bloomberg News. Drago and Somodevilla photographed the exact same moment - look closely and you can see “00:22” on Taylor Greene’s phone. “It was the perfect phone call.” she tweeted.
According to the The Senate Press Photographers’ Gallery, “Photography is not permitted in the House Chamber except on special occasions such as the Joint Meetings of Congress, State of the Union addresses, etc.”
Because the House hadn’t officially formed yet, these rules did not apply, allowing photographers in places they normally couldn’t go. It also allowed for more CSPAN cameras. The angle is usually fixed, as CSPAN’s Jeremy Art pointed out.
Yet, the CSPAN video doesn’t do the moment justice. The video of Rogers being grabbed from behind was fleeting, nearly off-frame, as the camera followed McCarthy down the aisle. Like most always, the stills will endure.
My good friend Tim Zielenbach said the scene reminded him of Yeo Hong Yoon’s “gloriously insane” photo of brawling politicians in South Korea. Yoon, a staff photographer with The Kukmin Ilbo, won a World Press Photo award with this image in 1994.
Of course, I always appreciate a solid reference to Goodfellas.
While the drama was unfolding, I was texting with a group of photographers and we agreed that working on the Hill is one of the most grueling, difficult gigs out there. It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this work. Much respect.
