GOP Reps. Greene, Boebert heckle Biden throughout State of the Union address

Lawmakers booed Boebert when she interrupted Biden as he was about to speak of his son's death.

Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., stand with fellow lawmakers as they listen to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday in the House chamber.Evelyn Hockstein / Pool via AFP - Getty Images
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Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., repeatedly interrupted and interjected during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Greene was heard grumbling through the entire part of Biden's speech about Covid policy before she shouted a remark about women's sports when Biden mentioned new laws targeting transgender Americans and their families.

Boebert and Greene tried to start a "build the wall" chant — a reference to former President Donald Trump's calls to construct a wall across the U.S. southern border — when Biden referred to securing the border and reforming immigration law.

But the moment that stood out most was when Boebert shouted "13 of them" — referring to the 13 U.S. service members who died in an attack in Afghanistan during the U.S. withdrawal last year — when Biden discussed battlefield conditions that may contribute to veterans' developing cancers "that would put them in a flag-draped coffin."

Boebert's remark came just before Biden mentioned that one such veteran was his son Beau Biden, who served in Iraq and died of brain cancer in 2015.

Her remark prompted some boos from fellow lawmakers.

"Her disruption was inappropriate, especially given the substance of the comments that the president was making at the time, which is to continue this way, which is to protect service members and our veterans," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said: "It's something that I think that there's a place. That's not the place to do that."

The heckling came a day after Republican leaders condemned Greene for speaking at a gathering of white nationalists in Florida over the weekend. Both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., condemned her appearance at the America First Political Action Committee conference, which was organized by a prominent white nationalist and where attendees chanted in praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's unbecoming for a member of Congress to speak at an event that's promoted by anyone who espouses those views," said Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the head of the conservative Republican Study Committee. "This is an event that no Republican should attend ... and it's unfortunate that she did."

Greene defended her appearance, telling a CBS News reporter that she knew very little about the event's founder and was not aware of his views.

Boebert has cultivated a persona similar to Greene's. Late last year, she apologized after video emerged of her suggesting that fellow Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., had been mistaken for a terrorist in an elevator both were riding in the U.S. Capitol. Omar said the entire story was made up.

But Boebert did stand and cheer for one of Biden's lines Tuesday.

"We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police," Biden said. "The answer is to fund the police."

Boebert leaped from her seat, clapping and shouting, "That's right!"