Published: October 2, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – Rep. J. Marvin Cole, whom the House disciplined in June for taking the speaker’s chair, publicly warned Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon on Thursday not to use the gavel to silence lawmakers when the House returns Oct. 9.
Cole, who represents Bong County’s District 3, addressed Koon directly at the lying-in-state ceremony for the late Ranney B. Jackson Sr.
“Mr. Speaker, when we return, please, you should not use the gavel to threaten lawmakers. Our voices should be heard. That’s why we were elected,” Cole said.
Cole did not say what action by the Speaker prompted the warning.
The remarks reopen a public feud between the two men. In June, Cole appeared before the House Committee on Rules, Order and Administration after occupying the speaker’s chair and handling the gavel before a plenary session. He apologized to Koon and his colleagues, and the House accepted the apology and pardoned him.
Before that incident, Cole had publicly criticized Koon’s handling of the case of former Montserrado County District 10 Rep. Yekeh Y. Kolubah. He questioned the speaker’s independence and claimed Koon relied on executive support in the dispute. The Liberian Investigator has not independently verified that claim.
Cole is not the only lawmaker to clash with Koon this year. In June, Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah apologized to the speaker after being asked to retract critical comments he made about Koon on radio.
The House also failed to reach a quorum at one sitting in June, drawing attention to attendance and to the speaker’s power to enforce the chamber’s rules.
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