Apparently, as Guttierrez has stated on his own Twitter account, he was simply leaving the address early in order to make it to an interview.
There is a story going around that I "stormed out" of the President’s speech last night which is completely false. That I boycotted the speech or protested by leaving during an applause break is just someone’s spin.
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) January 31, 2018
I was due on TV for an interview and the speech was running late. I waited until the President stopped talking and walked to the back and watched the last 90-seconds on TV (after sitting for 80 minutes). Then went to my interview. Those are the facts. https://t.co/Gq3oKwTe1O
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) January 31, 2018
The White House has since issued a statement on Trump’s “treason” remarks, with Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claiming that the President was “clearly joking.”
In summation: not standing up for/applauding the President is “treason,” but the President calling a group of peaceful dissenters “treasonous” is just a lighthearted bit of fun.
It’s truly a wonder that Republicans can pull off this sort of ethical gymnastics without stretching first.