Democrat Freshman Rep. Joe Cunningham Attempts to Bring Booze on House Floor

A Democrat congressman is already stirring up trouble just days into his first term on Capitol Hill, attempting to bring a six-pack of beer onto the House floor on Friday afternoon.

But when Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) tried to bring the booze onto the House floor, he was told it was against House rules to do so and could not enter with the six-pack in hand.

Cunningham intended to give the six-pack of brews, which originated from two Charleston-area breweries, to House Small Brewers Caucus co-chair Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR):

“Making friends when you’re a freshman is hard and I thought I’d grease the skids with some Lowcountry beer,” Cunningham tweeted, noting that DeFazio received the banned brews. “Can I join the beer caucus now?”

A reporter for Politico confirmed that DeFazio received his beer, tweeting a picture of the Oregon Democrat carrying the six-pack:

The six pack included several South Carolina craft brews, including Dead Arm from Coast Brewing and One Claw and White Thai from Westbrook Brewing Company, the Post and Courier reported.

Coast Brewing got wind of Cunningham’s slip-up, suggesting in a tweet that he include a “bipartisan” 32/50 Kölsch brew to his future beer selections:

Cunningham defeated Republican Katie Arrington in the 2018 midterm race to replace former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.