Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory, even after a crowd has entered the Capitol, are thrown out by critics in their home districts, demanding their resignation or removal.
Protesters, newspaper editorial boards and local Democrats have urged lawmakers to resign or expel their colleagues. The House and Senate may remove members by a two-thirds vote or censor or reprimand by a majority.
Representative Madison Cawthorn “must be held accountable for his seditious behavior and the consequences of that behavior,” a group of Democratic officials wrote in a letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to expel Mr. the freshman from North Carolina, who took the oath of office. on January 3.
Cawthorn said he had a constitutional duty to vote against Biden. He condemned the violence in Wednesday’s attack, but compared it to last summer’s protests over police brutality. These demonstrations never violated a government building during official activities.
A police officer from the Capitol died and an officer shot and killed a woman in the crowd. Three others died in the emergency room in chaos, forcing lawmakers and staff to hide as rioters roamed the halls of one of America’s holiest buildings.
Pelosi and other Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing for President Donald Trump to be charged with encouraging insurrection and refusing to act to stop the violence. But they remained silent if lawmakers who backed the false allegations of electoral fraud that led to melee should be punished.
Most previous expulsions were for members who supported the Confederacy during the civil war or for taking bribes.
On Saturday, at St. Louis, several hundred people protested against Sen. Josh Hawley, the first-term Missouri Republican who led efforts in the Senate to overturn Biden’s election. Protesters painted “RESIGN HAWLEY” in large yellow letters in the middle of the street.
A caravan of about 40 cars surrounded Senator Ron Johnson’s office in Madison, Wisconsin, urging him to resign. Johnson initially backed Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud, but after the uprising, he voted in favor of Biden’s victory. Johnson condemned the violence, but did not dismiss allegations of voter fraud.
Editorial committees in two of Wisconsin’s largest newspapers have called for Johnson’s resignation, joining nationwide editorials targeting GOP politicians.
The Houston Chronicle, a longtime critic of Senator Ted Cruz, said in an editorial that the Republican knew exactly what he was doing and what might happen when he went to the Senate to challenge the election results.
“Those terrorists would not have been at the Capitol if you had not organized this absurd challenge for the results of 2020, in the first place,” the newspaper wrote.
Cruz called the attack an act of contempt for terrorism, but continues to push for a commission to investigate the presidential election.
In Alabama, Decatur Daily demanded the resignation of local representative Mo Brooks. The York Dispatch In Pennsylvania, he said Congressman Scott Perry is “a disgrace to Pennsylvania and our democracy,” and if he still believes Biden’s election is fraudulent, he should resign because that means his election was false. Perry condemned the violence in the Chapter.
The Danville Register & Bee In Virginia, he said his representative, Bob Good, had to leave because his words hit the matches that led to the destructive crowds. Good said his vote was to protect his constituents.
Trump’s loyal invaders “confronted security personnel and there were injuries and even deaths,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote. “You’re just as guilty as they are.”