Congress, It’s time to invoke the 14th Amendment

As the clock ticks down on Trump’s final days in office, the reality of his legacy becomes more clear. Trump will be remembered as the divider-in-chief, a man who incited violence, and under his direction, allowed a domestic terror attack to take place.

In the days after the U.S. Capitol was under siege by domestic terrorists, the House passed a resolution urging the Vice President to invoke the 25th Amendment, and voted on articles of impeachment. Unfortunately, Vice President Mike Pence has refused to act. However, the House voted, with bipartisan support, to impeach President Trump for the second time. It is clear Trump must be held accountable for his actions that led to the terror attacks by extremists on January 6, 2021.

The truth is, Trump didn’t act alone. Other Republican elected officials joined Trump in spreading disinformation, actively working to delegitimize the election system, and inciting violence, and they too must be held accountable.

From grandstanding on television to posting to social media to fueling conspiracy theories, the assault on American democracy may have been led by the president, but his key supporters assisted it. For the past four and a half years, the Republican Party has supported Trump and assisted his spread of lies and conspiracy theories.

Fraudulent accusations when parroted alongside the president’s own false claims and conspiracy theories led to the domestic terror attack on the Capitol. Those who helped Trump drive the narrative and incite violence must be held accountable under Section 3 of the 14th amendment.

Ratified in 1868 after the Civil War, the 14th amendment known for outlining citizenship and equal protection under the law to anyone born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved and free Black people. Section 3 says, “No person having previously taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” This provision was included to prevent Confederates from holding public office during Reconstruction.

With the next election two years away, Congress must invoke Amendment 14 Section 3 and remove everyone who supported unfounded allegations of the election being stolen from Trump. It is the only way to uphold democracy and send a resounding message that extremists and disinformation do not have a place in our government.

The fact of the matter is, Trump will be out of office on January 20th, but his allies in the House and the Senate will remain in office. They will continue to have a platform and influence on our country’s policies. America has a clear picture of the danger Trump poses to our democracy, but to allow those who supported the president’s conspiracy theory campaign poses a graver threat to the future of our nation.

Not only must Congress remove these people from office, they must be barred from ever holding office again. Allowing these insurrectionists to allow in office and sway public policy is dangerous.

Representative Cori Bush filed a resolution in which she cites Section 3 under the 14th Amendment, calling for the possible expulsion of over 100 Republican House members. The measure calls on “the House Ethics Committee to investigate “any and all actions” taken by Congress members who sought to overturn the election and have them face consequences that could include removal from office.” Bush underscored the importance of holding elected officials accountable for the role played in the insurrection on the Capitol when she tweeted, “we can’t have unity without accountability.”

There is no doubt Congress has a full docket as it works through holding the president accountable for inciting violence and emboldening supporters to commit domestic acts of terror. Nevertheless, the extremist views do not live and die with Trump, they will continue to smolder long after he is out of office unless Republican sycophants are removed from office too.

As America watches history being made, Congress has a responsibility to ensure they are on the right side of history. Now is the time for a full repudiation of extremist rhetoric and conspiracy theories in our society.