A Republican senator introduced a "talking stick" into government shutdown negotiations to try to keep the peace, but it ended up nearly shattering one of her figurines, according to several reports.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine hosted a bipartisan group of senators in her office to discuss how to put an end to the government shutdown.
She reportedly made fellow legislators use a ceremonial Native American "talking stick" when they wanted to speak - in order to quell possible disruptions.
Senators could only speak if they were in possession of the "talking stick."
However, things went slightly awry when a top Democrat interrupted a Republican, who then tossed the stick in the liberal's direction in jest, causing damage to one of Collins' decorations.
Virginia Senator Mark Warner allegedly interrupted Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who was talking while in possession of the stick.
Upon the outburst, Alexander reportedly tossed the stick "forcefully" in Warner's direction clipping and chipping Collins' glass elephant.
Those in the room reportedly laughed off the incident, and Collins replaced the "talking stick" with a rubber ball to prevent any further damage to her office.
Collins later showed off the stick, originally from Africa, in a CNN interview, saying it was a gift from Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).
"It was very helpful in making sure everyone's voice got heard," she said, as anchor Chris Cuomo pointed out that it looks like something used in his child's kindergarten class.
Collins said the glass elephant was "only chipped," not totally smashed, by a senator's "errant toss."
