WASHINGTON (AP) – This time, the rage that envelops the Capitol is not coming from a rebellious mob, but from within.
The anger displayed is blistering – Democrat against Republican; Republican against Republican; lawmakers from both parties opposed the catastrophic security issue that left top government leaders vulnerable to last week’s violence and to the coronavirus in their ranks.
The anger is compounded by the passions aroused by the Democrats’ newfound drive to oust President Donald Trump.
This is a “powder keg” moment, one Democrat said. It is certainly historical.
The House is aiming to make Trump the first president to be impeached twice as part of an extraordinary effort to remove him from office ahead of Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration a week from Wednesday. The charge to be brought against him: “inciting insurrection”.
Once again, the founders’ phrase, “serious crimes and crimes,” is directed against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate during his first impeachment trial. And tempers flare up in congressional corridors and offices that are still being cleaned up by the attackers.
Shocked members, long accustomed to protective bubbles, asked if they could cost the taxpayer their own body armor (yes they can). Democrats attacked a collection of always-Trumpers – Republicans who pressed the president’s false allegations of fraudulent elections, even after the crowd, prompted by the same lies, was finally taken away.
Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, among others, called for the expulsion or censure of Republican members who advocate Trump’s cause for nullifying the will of voters if those lawmakers refuse to resign. Democrats were primarily behind Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and a roster of House lawmakers who had also sought to throw obstacles to Biden’s election certification.
“Failure to hold those responsible for the uprising to account would be a grave injustice and give the green light to future authoritarians,” said Casey.
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland said: “They have a completely independent reality, completely disconnected from the world of facts, and that is the basis for fascism. When you add racism, anti-Semitism, conspiracy theory and magical thinking, that’s an absolute powder keg in terms of an attack on democracy. “
There was also Republican pointing the finger at Republican. Much of it was directed against California House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for not showing enough leadership, according to some former lawmakers and congressional GOP aides who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Some House Republicans are angry that McCarthy, one of Trump’s most staunch defenders in Washington, defended him too vigorously and for too long, making it harder to distance himself from Trump after the siege of the Capitol.
In contrast, Mitch McConnell, leader of the majority group in the Kentucky Senate, explicitly criticized Trump’s push to overturn Biden’s election, saying it would “harm our republic forever.” He did so even when the mob broke into the Capitol and charged into the rooms against the minority of the police.
McCarthy acknowledged the outrage among his Republican colleagues over the attack in a letter to them Monday stating, “I share your anger and your pain” and making sure they knew the threat from the crowd was also dear to him.
“Zippers were found on personnel desks in my office,” he wrote. Windows are smashed. Real estate has been stolen. Those images will never leave us. ”
As if nerves weren’t raw enough about the actions of Trump and his die-hard loyalists, three Democrats hiding with members of the Republican House when they were taken to a security room revealed that they had since tested positive for COVID-19. Some Republicans in that room had refused to wear masks during those hours.
Indeed, one of the newly infected, Rep. Washington’s Pramila Jayapal said, “Several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask, but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.”
Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Brad Schneider of Illinois were the others to announce positive tests after their time in the room while everyone waited to hear if more cases would come.
Democrats were livid.
“In the midst of a deadly attack on our United States Capitol, some of our Republican colleagues derided rules designed not only to keep their colleagues safe, but also to protect the lives of the workers’ teams running everything. law enforcement, and personnel throughout the Capitol, ”said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.
On Tuesday, the gun office sergeant issued a statement that all members and others entering the room must be screened for prohibited items, including firearms, and that anyone not wearing a mask on the floor of the House will be removed. The House also voted to impose fines on lawmakers without a face covering.
The screening requirement comes if at least one legislator, freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Has spoken openly about carrying her firearm around town and to the Capitol, which has infuriated gun-controlled Democrats.
The new metal detectors outside the House room also annoyed a number of Republicans, some of whom voiced obscenities or ignored the devices, claiming that they prevented them from voting.
In a virtual house rules committee meeting, Democrats pleaded with Republicans to stop voicing Trump’s myths about stolen elections. Trump’s allegations have been refuted by judges and election officials for weeks, but motivate the crowd and are still believed by legions of Trump supporters.
“When will the service to Donald Trump end?” asked the Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle from New York. “It should be easy to answer.”
“When the people speak, it’s over,” he continued. Otherwise “we have nothing. There is no America. “
There were some signs that the top Republican in the House of Representatives was backing out for his unwavering display of loyalty to Trump.
McCarthy had joined most House Republicans in December to support a lawsuit to block Biden’s election, and again last week by two votes against Biden’s victory. The lawsuit and both votes failed. He has thus far avoided publicly denouncing Trump. But in a private conference call Monday with GOP colleagues, he expressed openness to censor Trump.
McCarthy “reinforced the president’s disinformation about widespread electoral fraud,” former Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Who often clashed with Trump, said in an interview last week. “That is irresponsible. Mitch doesn’t fall into that category. ”
“McCarthy is all in with Trump,” said Paul Cook, who retired as a GOP congressman from California in January and has had disagreements with him over the years. “I think sometimes you have the greater good of the land, it’s not always the party.”
For Cook, it all comes down to the oath of office. “When you take an oath, a lot of people forget its words,” he said.
In their oath of office, lawmakers pledge to defend the constitution “against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.”