Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay thinks there should be consequences for Democrats who violated the rules of the House and turned the chamber into an Occupy camp. The Texas Tribune reports:

If the Sugar Land Republican were still running the show at the U.S. Capitol, he said, he would’ve had no mercy for the Democrats participating.

“I’m heartbroken. The destruction of dignity, decorum of the people’s House,” he said. “That House doesn’t belong to those members. It belongs to the people of the United States, and for them to desecrate it like they just did is beyond me.”

[…]

“You cannot allow things like this to happen without some consequences,” he said. “I think what I’d do is file ethics charges against every member that did this.”

Delay’s comments are similar to those made by House Speaker Paul Ryan this week. At a press conference Thursday Ryan said, “I think what we did is we watched a publicity stunt, a fundraising stunt descend an institution that many of us care a great deal about.” He also said he was worried it would set a bad precedent going forward.

Were the Democrats in clear violation of House rules during the sit in? The answer, according to NBC News, is yes:

House members are violating rules by sharing pictures and video of the sit-in. House rules state that people on the floor may not “use a mobile electronic device that impairs decorum.”.

Rep. Yarmuth, who participated in the sit-in, even noted that he and other Democrats were asked by the Sergeant-at-Arms to stop taking photos and videos in accordance with the rules. Democrats obviously ignored these requests.

The Sgt at Arms is asking us to stop taking photos and video from House floor. Republicans should turn the cameras back on. #NoBillNoBreak

— Rep. John Yarmuth (@RepJohnYarmuth) June 22, 2016

And when Speaker Ryan attempted to restore order this is how Democrats behaved. Incredibly, the media is celebrating this behavior as if one party shouting slogans on the House floor were a wonderful development. You can imagine how this would have gone over if it were Speaker Pelosi with the gavel and Republicans jeering at her:

Democrats violated written rules and completely demolished the decorum of the House for a bill that had already failed in committee and in the Senate. The only purpose of this stunt was to create an election year issue and as a fundraising effort for the DCCC.

Paul Ryan did his best to take the high road, and that’s admirable under the circumstances, but Democrats clearly feel no shame. Indeed, they are dizzily celebrating themselves in the media spotlight. A few dozen ethics charges might diminish Democrats’ eagerness to flout the rules and prevent this from becoming a bad precedent.