Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich jabbed at Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) on Sunday, circling back to a decision the Democratic representative made to honor the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.
Back in March 2012, Rush was thrown off of the House floor for wearing a hoodie in protest of Martin’s shooting. He clamored that “racial profiling has to stop,” but also broke Congress’ rule of wearing hats in the chamber while the House is in session.
A little more than one week after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in Martin’s shooting death, Gingrich ripped Rush for the 2012 hoodie move on CNN’s “State Of The Union.”
“You have a congressman whose own district is bleeding, who puts on a hoodie as a symbolic act, but he doesn’t do anything about the gangs in his own district,” Gingrich said.
Rush struck back at that remark, panning Gingrich as someone who “didn’t want to hear these matters,” during his time from 1995-99 as Speaker Of The House.
“That’s a charge, Newt,” Rush said. “That doesn’t hold water.”