The House of Representatives had to stop working and use a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to protect Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a socialist from Michigan, after Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller accused her of working with Hezbollah and supporting terrorists.The fight started during the debate of a resolution Tlaib had pushed for on war powers in Lebanon.

In the end, Miller’s comments were ruled out of order and taken out of the record.

The Ohio Republican was also barred from speaking on the House floor for the rest of the day.

He also refused to issue an apology.

The fight, which was one of the most heated on the floor in recent memory, showed how divided people are over U.S. policy in the Middle East and how much members can say about each other without breaking House rules.

It also brought up a tougher question that the rules can’t answer: whether Miller’s main charge, no matter how bluntly it was made, was valid.

Tlaib, a Palestinian-American and one of only two Muslim women in Congress, opened her floor remarks by calling for an end to “U.S. participation in the Israeli apartheid regime’s invasion of Lebanon.”

She accused the Israeli military of targeting journalists and using American tax dollars “to commit war crimes.”

Miller, who is Jewish, responded by going directly at Tlaib. He referenced Hezbollah.

“Its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent,” Miller said.

When Tlaib reacted, hollering at Miller from across the chamber, though her words were not picked up on the microphone, Miller stood his ground.

“Yes, you advocate for terrorists on a daily basis. You advocate for a terrorist regime every single day,” Miller said.

Then came the line that seemed designed to provoke: “Oh, I’m sorry. Are we getting a little emotional?”

Tlaib moved quickly to invoke the House’s formal remedy.

She asked that Miller’s words be “taken down,” a term of art on Capitol Hill that triggers a review of whether a member’s remarks violated chamber rules against personal attacks.

Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who was presiding over the debate from the dais, slammed down the gavel, addressed both members, and asked Miller to sit down.

“Colleagues, this is a serious topic. We will debate it respectfully and deliberately,” Obernolte said.

House business came to a halt as staff and stenographers reviewed the disputed remarks.

After an hour of delay, Miller still would not apologize or withdraw his statement.

Obernolte then issued his ruling.

“The words of the gentleman from Ohio contain an allegation that the gentlewoman from Michigan is a ‘butcher’ and affiliated with a terrorist organization. Such remarks impugn the patriotism and loyalty of the member of the House,” Obernolte said.

Obernolte declared the remarks “contain personalities and are not in order” and ordered them stricken from the record.

The House sanctioned Miller and suspended him from speaking for the rest of the day.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., who had been managing the Lebanon debate on the floor for Republicans, stepped in to speak on Miller’s behalf.

Mast told the chamber he would deliver a message from Miller, then quoted the Ohio Republican directly: “Yes, I said it. I own it. And I stand by it.”

Mast then went further.

He asked the House for permission to submit into the Congressional Record an article titled “Rashida Talib, member of a secret Facebook Group where Hamas Terrorists glorified.”

Tlaib objected.

Mast also tried to enter a transcript of Tlaib allegedly speaking about genocide.

Tlaib objected again.

The outcome of the procedure obscured the main argument.

Tlaib spoke in front of the House and called Israel, which is an ally of the US through a treaty, a “apartheid regime.”

Its military was doing “war crimes” with American tax dollars, she said.

This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.