“We don’t ever, ever, want to pass up an opportunity, it seems, to escalate. And that’s what this is,” he added, referring to Republicans‘ motion to strike Pelosi‘s remarks. “I dare anybody to look at any of the footage and see if there was any unfairness, but unfairness is not enough because we want to just fight.”

Cleaver’s decision to abandon the chair appeared unprecedented, at least in recent history.