--- title: Elizabeth Warren: Supporters Use Hashtag #LetLizSpeak description: Celebrities who tweeted their support include Kerry Washington, who posted the letter Warren tried to read on the Senate floor canonical: https://time.com/4663605/elizabeth-warren-twitter-reactions-letlizspeak/ author: Zamira Rahim article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-08T13:41:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:16:08.973Z article:section: Politics og:title: #LetLizSpeak: Supporters React to GOP Silencing Elizabeth Warren og:description: Many posted the letter Warren had tried to read og:url: https://time.com/4663605/elizabeth-warren-twitter-reactions-letlizspeak/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafe66c5fcf80f48a/6988b93ba988ca4fb66baea4/elizabeth-warren-supporters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Trump's Selection For Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Testifies During Her Senate Confirmation Hearing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: #LetLizSpeak: Supporters React to GOP Silencing Elizabeth Warren twitter:description: Many posted the letter Warren had tried to read twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafe66c5fcf80f48a/6988b93ba988ca4fb66baea4/elizabeth-warren-supporters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # #LetLizSpeak: Supporters React to GOP Silencing Elizabeth Warren > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d504dac2-fe27-4cf1-b730-be5b6d0ca373&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: GOP Senators Silence Elizabeth Warren for Quoting Coretta Scott King Letter [Watch (HLS stream): GOP Senators Silence Elizabeth Warren for Quoting Coretta Scott King Letter](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YWELpAg3.m3u8) (2:19)  _Published 2017-02-08. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has earned a rare rebuke by the Senate for quoting Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor._ by [Zamira Rahim](https://time.com/author/zamira-rahim/) ## Zamira Rahim Feb 8, 2017 1:41 PM UTC Sen. Elizabeth Warren has earned a rare rebuke by the Senate for quoting Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor. by [Zamira Rahim](https://time.com/author/zamira-rahim/) ## Zamira Rahim Feb 8, 2017 1:41 PM UTC Thousands of people on Twitter wanted to #LetLizSpeak after Senate Republicans voted to [formally silence Elizabeth Warren.](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/us/politics/republican-senators-vote-to-formally-silence-elizabeth-warren.html?%5Fr=0) The hashtag began trending after Warren was rebuked for reading out a letter by [Coretta Scott King](http://time.com/4663497/coretta-scott-king-letter-warren-senate-sessions/), Martin Luther King’s widow, during the debate over Senator Jeff Sessions’ nomination for attorney general. The move angered Senate GOP, who officially silenced her and she’s now unable to comment on Session’s nomination in the Senate. Warren took to Twitter to object to her treatment, quickly gaining support amongst the celebrities and others who posted King’s letter. > [](https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/829140184692305923) > [](https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/829217029995507715) > [](https://twitter.com/kerrywashington/status/829175584982958080) > [](https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/829197650566201349) > [](https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/829152718698795008) Not everyone supported Warren’s move: [“We have become a society incapable of having debates anymore”](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/318422-senate-votes-to-silence-warren-after-sessions-speech) GOP Senator Marco Rubio said after Warren was silenced, according to The Hill. ## Transcript I'll pick up then, with Mrs. King's letter to the Judiciary committee when the Judiciary committee was considering, not then Senator Sessions, nominee Sessions for a position on the federal bench. Fathers, sons, and brothers- Mr. President. They are- Mr. President. Majority leader. The Senator has impugned the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama, as warned by the Chair. Senator Warren quote said, Senator Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens. I call the Senator to order, under the provisions of rule 19. Mr. President? [ INAUDIBLE ] Messages. [ INAUDIBLE ] Senator for messages. [ INAUDIBLE ] Mr. President, I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate. I ask leave of the Senate to continue my remarks. Is there objection? Object. I appeal the ruling- Objection is heard. The Senator will take her seat. Mr. President, I appeal the ruling of the Chair, and I suggest the absence of a quorum. On this motion, the yeas are 43, the nays are 50, the motion is not agreed to. Tonight, I wanted to read that letter and Senator Mitch McConnell and the Republicans came to the floor to shut me down for reading that letter. So, right now, what I'd like to do, I'm outside the Senate, I just want to read the letter. Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office. To chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens in the district, he now seeks to serve as a federal judge. This simply cannot be allowed to happen. Mr. Sessions conduct as a U. S. attorney, from his politically motivated voting fraud prosecution To his indifference toward criminal violations of civil rights laws indicates that he lacks the temperament, fairness, and judgement to be a federal judge. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4663605/elizabeth-warren-twitter-reactions-letlizspeak/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4663605/elizabeth-warren-twitter-reactions-letlizspeak/"},"headline":"#LetLizSpeak: Supporters React to GOP Silencing Elizabeth Warren","datePublished":"2017-02-08T13:41:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-07T07:16:08.973Z","description":"Many posted the letter Warren had tried to read","url":"https://time.com/4663605/elizabeth-warren-twitter-reactions-letlizspeak/","keywords":["Senate","Mitch McConnell","chuck schumer","elizabeth warren","Jeff Sessions","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafe66c5fcf80f48a/6988b93ba988ca4fb66baea4/elizabeth-warren-supporters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zamira Rahim","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zamira-rahim/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafe66c5fcf80f48a/6988b93ba988ca4fb66baea4/elizabeth-warren-supporters.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump's Selection For Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Testifies During Her Senate Confirmation Hearing","caption":"Sen. 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