House Stenographer Credits 'Holy Spirit' for Her Rant Against Congress
The House stenographer who erupted into a verbal tirade against members of Congress in the midst of the vote to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling today said the "holy spirit" told her to do it.
"For the past 2 and 1/2 weeks, the Holy Spirit has been waking me up in the middle of the night and preparing me (through my reluctance and doubt) to deliver a message in the House Chamber," the stenographer, Dianne Reidy, said in a written statement to Fox News. "That is what I did last night."
Reidy's husband, Dan, told Fox that his wife "is a sweet, level-headed wonderful woman of God."
"I am proud of her," Dan Reidy told Fox.
In an interview with the New York Post on Thursday, Reidy reportedly said, she's "never felt better" and that she plans to return to work next week.
"I'm glad that I fulfilled God's mission for me, absolutely," she said, according to the Post. "It lifted a tremendous burden. It was a very hard burden to carry as you can imagine."
The comments are the first clues about why Reidy shouted into a microphone during Wednesday night's vote, an act that led to her forcible removal from the chamber of the House of Representatives.
The stenographer, who helps keep the record of the proceedings of the House, was interviewed by officers before being transported to a hospital "for evaluation," U.S. Capitol Police told ABC News.
Dan Reidy attributed his wife's behavior to two weeks of "waking up in the middle of the night," and in their interview with the New York Post, the couple said Reidy was questioned by a psychiatrist after her outburst Wednesday night.
As members cast their votes Wednesday evening on legislation to end the 16-day government shutdown, Reidy was seen calmly ascending the rostrum before unleashing her diatribe against members of Congress. Another stenographer stepped in for her.
Reidy was heard shouting "the House is divided," according to one congressional source. After about 30 seconds, Reidy was pulled off the rostrum by two people from the House chamber security staff.
"He will not be mocked," the woman said, according to an audio recording of the incident posted online by Public Radio International reporter Todd Zwillich. "This is not one nation under God. It never was."
She added, "The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been. The Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons."
She was not arrested or charged and it's unclear whether she will keep her job. Neither Reidy nor the Office of the Clerk has responded to ABC News' request for comment.
Dan Reidy, who described himself to the New York Post as a Pentecostal Christian, said "Dianne didn't know what she was sharing, she didn't know when, but she just sensed in her spirit."
He added, "God was preparing her for this vote last night, because this was kind of the culmination of everything."