Multiple sources report that Rep. Thomas Wright was expelled by the North Carolina House of Representatives, the first such action since 1880. 

“We in the House performed a sad duty today,” said House Speaker Joe Hackney, a Democrat. “But I want to say that I think it was a duty — a duty to protect the House, protect the institution, to make it clear that the kind of conduct that the committee found to be true renders one unfit to be a member of the House.”

In a four minute speech to his colleagues, Wright urged the House to reserve judgment until after his criminal trial.

“I am innocent of the criminal charges before me,” he said. “However, I need an opportunity to prove that. This is less than the appropriate setting for me to do that.”

The resolution lays out the charges.