Even if you’re a novice American history buff you might’ve heard of violent, bizarre Washington DC legislative tales like the one in the late 18th century between Roger Griswold of Connecticut and Matthew Lyon of Vermont that involved wooden sword accusations and spitting in one another’s faces. Years later Capitol Hill saw elected lawmakers filibustering for hours upon hours upon hours, reading Shakespeare, reciting seafood recipes, and even urinating into a bucket held by one of their interns with one foot over their stream and the other on the Senate floor. There was Preston Brooks beating the piss (might as well keep the theme going) out of Charles Sumner on the Senate floor back in 1856 with his cane until … it broke over the Massachusetts legislator’s bruised back. There was the time a congressman got his fellow elected officials to go along and honor him for murdering the son of Francis Scott Key.

Just a few years ago, there was the story that a bunch of reps in the House were getting tipsy into the night as they attempted to strategize the kiboshing of a new healthcare law nicknamed “Obamacare”.

And now, there’s this, via Gawker:

Who is that? What is that?

It’s Duncan Hunter! A U.S. Representative from California. And he’s … “vaping”. Which, if you’re not familiar, is like smoking a cigarette only “electronically”. Hence why it’s called “e-cigarettes” or “e-cigs” or “e-smoke” or, yeah, you get the point.

And while this didn’t happen while on the Senate floor or in the House, it did take place during a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill (the Rayburn House Office Building, to be exact) recently while Duncan and Transport Committee lawmakers discussed downing an amendment that bans vaping on a plane (you can guess where the California politician stood).

The amendment was upheld.

Come gather ’round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around you have grown …

UPDATE: One of our readers very helpfully pointed out that Mr. Hunter is a U.S. military veteran, and a Marine major who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s still in the service, too, as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.