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Feb. 27, 2017, 4:50 p.m.

SenatePresidentPro Tem Kevin de Lenon Monday pledged a nonpartisan review intoactions taken last week byDemocratic leaders to removeSen. Janet Nguyen from the housefloor , saying he was troubled and unsettled by the tense events that unfolded.

"Members, last Thursday was not one of the finest moments of the Senate," he said. "As the leader of this body, I take full responsibility for what transpired and in making sure that it never happens again."

Republican lawmakers commended the statement. But they blastedwhat they described as the majority party's infringement of free speech. They demandeda formalapology for Nguyenandcalledfor the resignation of DeLen's chief of staff, who they said made inappropriate comments about the incident to the media.

Nguyen (R-Garden Grove), a Vietnamese refugee,on Thursday was escorted from the Senate floor by sergeants-at-armsafter shetriedto offer what she said was a different historical perspectiveon the lateTom Hayden and his opposition to the Vietnam War.

Reading a letter toSecretaryof theSenate Daniel Alvarez, Sen. Jean Fuller(R-Bakersfield), leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, called for a complete and transparent investigation.

Fuller saidNguyenspoke from the heart when she said Hayden's being honoredtriggered outrage among the constituents in her district's Vietnamese community, where memories of the war were still raw.

"Brutality of the Vietnamese Communist party continues to haunt the collective memory of the Vietnamese American community," Fuller said. The letter was submitted to the Senate journal through a unanimous vote.

Before the start of session, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle shook hands withNguyenas she entered the chamberfor her first time back since her ouster last week. Some Republican lawmakers embraced her and whispered words of approval and encouragement.

"Thursday's events were shocking and distressing," she later said. "But what happened today on the floor reaffirmed my faith in America's deep belief in the democratic process."

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Republican lawmakers blast removal of state senator from the floor, call for full investigation - Los Angeles Times