Democratic House Chair Purposely Omits "So Help Me God" When Administering Oath

[NeoGreen]

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/02/08/democratic-house-chair-purposely-omits-so-help-me-god-when-administering-oath/

https://www.mrctv.org/videos/house-energy-and-commerce-subcommittee-chair-omits-so-help-me-god-oath

Democratic House Chair Purposely Omits “So Help Me God” When Administering Oath
By Hemant Mehta, February 8, 2019

When the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun violence Wednesday morning, Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the chair of the group, administered the oath to witnesses who were about the testify. When he did that, he left out the phrase “So help me God.” A Republican questioned him about that immediately afterward. Nadler chalked it up to a simple mistake, re-administered the oath with the phrase in it, and everyone moved on.

“Raise your right hands,” Nadler told the witnesses. “Do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the testimony you’re about to give is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, information and belief?

…

“Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman,” interrupted Rep. Mike Johnson. “Point of parliamentary inquiry”… Johnson, sitting at the far end of the dais, said: “We had a conversation on the floor last week, and I just noted you left out ‘So help me God.’”

“Sorry,” Nadler said. “Do you want me to repeat the whole — I will repeat–”

“I would love that. Thank you,” Johnson said.

“Please stand up again,” Nadler told the witnesses, as he repeated the oath, ending with, “So help you God.”

It appeared to be a non-issue. Nadler didn’t seem to do it on purpose. I didn’t think that was worth writing up.

But then yesterday it happened again with a different Democrat, and this time, it was on purpose.
This incident involved Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight. Yesterday morning, when conducting a hearing on the Trump administration’s “Inhumane Family Separation Policy,” she left out the phrase when swearing in witnesses. And once again, a Republican was there to point it out.

Emphasis added.

[FreepFryer]

1. FYI - You duplicated the first paragraph. Thx for the post!

[NeoGreen]

2. Thanks, corrected.

[2naSalit]

3. That phrase in the oath is optional.

I have sworn in a number of federal employees and there is a segment in the manual which offers the option of religious reference use and an alternative nonsecular option, mention of gods is not mandatory for the oath to be valid. These folks are trying to maintain that this, in their thinking, is a xtian nation... it's not.

[LongtimeAZDem]

5. +1

[LongtimeAZDem]

4. The form of the oath is not specified; the Federal rules only state that:

Before testifying, every witness shall be required to declare that he will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation administered in a form calculated to awaken his conscience and impress his mind with his duty to do so.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. But...BUT....BUT!!!! The magic words are necessary!

How will we know if the witness is going to tell the truth unless it is insinuated that mentioning a mythical, Hebrew desert war god will make sure they do?
“So help me god”
Without those 4 magic words, who knows what they will say?!?