Dianne Reidy, the House stenographer who ranted about God, Free Masons and the need of the nation to stop serving conflicting masters, said in an email message that the Holy Spirit drove her to speak.
Fox News’ GretaWire posted the email: “For the past 2 and ½ 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. That is what I did.”
Part of Mrs. Reidy’s House floor remarks, as captured by video, during the government shutdown vote: “The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been, it would not have been. No. It would not have been. The Constitution would not have been written by Free Masons. They go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise forever.”
Mrs. Reidy’s husband, Dan Reidy, meanwhile, stood staunchly by her side, saying to Fox News that “my wife is a sweet, level-headed wonderful woman of God. I am proud of her.”
He also said in The Daily Beast that he didn’t know about her nightly wake-up calls from the Holy Spirit until after she had been dragged from the House floor by Capitol Police and sent to a local hospital for psychiatric observation and testing.
Mr. Reidy called her public rant “so out of character,” and added that “she so respects the Capitol and the traditions of the House of Representatives,” The Daily Beast reported. But he also characterized her as possessing deep religious faith — and said that she was insistent the Holy Spirit was the force that was waking her every night, for about two weeks straight.
SEE ALSO: House stenographer sent for mental exam after floor rant: ‘Praise be to God’
“Waking several times a night feeling that God’s just been pressing on her to open a Bible and get into his word,” Mr. Reidy said, in The Daily Beast. “Reading a Bible is not foreign to us, but getting up in the middle of the night definitely is. It’s just not a part of our life. … If that’s not God’s spirit …”
He trailed off, but then picked up, The Daily Beast reported: “What she was finding out was that God was impressing on her heart that He had a message He wanted her to share with the House of Representatives.”
Mr. Reidy said she kept resisting the call, but finally caved.
“The reason it took four weeks [of sleepless nights] was because of her reluctance and her doubt,” Mr. Reidy said, in The Daily Beast. “She didn’t want to do it.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.