Connecticut politician tells teenage girl 'I have a snake under my desk'

Representative Ernest Hewett made the comment to an unidentified teenager during a public hearing at the state Capitol, where she was testifying about a programme that helped her overcome her shyness. At the end of her presentation, Mr Hewett appeared to try to joke that she did not seem shy, saying: "If you're bashful I got a snake sitting under my desk here." The veteran Democrat's comments elicited nervous laughter but within hours J Brendan Sharkey, the Speaker of the House, condemned the remark as "disturbing" and stripped Mr Hewett of his role as speaker.