Dems to strike 'so help you God' from oath taken in front of key House committee, draft shows
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WASHINGTON (FOX News) - A key committee in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is moving to eliminate the God reference from the oath administered to witnesses testifying before the panel, as part of a new rules package expected to be approved this week, according to a draft obtained exclusively by Fox News.
The draft shows that the House Committee on Natural Resources would ask witnesses to recite only, "Do you solemnly swear or affirm, under penalty of law, that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
The rules proposal places the words "so help you God" in red brackets, indicating they are slated to be cut. The words "under penalty of law" are in red text, indicating that Democrats propose to add that phrasing to the oath.
The draft rules also remove the phrase "his or her" throughout the document, changing those two pronouns to "their." The rules additionally modify all references to the committee's "Chairman" to instead refer only to the committee's "Chair."