The Region - News from March 5, 1985

Rep. Robert Dornan (R-Calif.) was accused by Rep. Thomas Downey (D-N.Y.) of grabbing him by the collar and tie and threatening him with “bodily harm” on the House of Representatives floor. The Garden Grove area congressman conceded he grasped Downey’s tie because “it needed to be straightened” and that he called Downey a “wimp” for criticizing anti-Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua. Dornan also admitted telling Downey to “get out of my face.” But he denied making any threats. Downey said he would lodge a formal complaint against Dornan, insisting, “I think he owes me and the House an apology. Our constituents sent us here to agree and disagree, not to threaten one another.”