Rep. Matt Gaetz and at least 65 House Republicans introduced a resolution Tuesday saying former President Donald Trump “did not participate in an insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”
The one-page resolution attempts to undermine the justification for removing Trump from state ballots across the country. This comes as the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the Colorado matter on Thursday.
“We are here today to authoritatively state that President Trump did not commit an insurrection, and we believe Congress has a unique role in making that statement,” Gaetz (R-Fla.) explained at a news conference.
“It’s time for members of the House and Senate to show where they stand on this issue.”
Gaetz, 41, was flanked by numerous House Republicans, including Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the measure’s original co-sponsor.
Along with the House resolution, Sen. JD Vance (D-Ohio) introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
“From the president on down, Democrats are abusing our judicial system to disenfranchise millions of Americans and remove Donald Trump from the ballot,” Vance said in a statement.
Some 65 House Republicans are backing an effort to declare that Donald Trump is not an insurrectionist. AFP via Getty Images
“They are setting an incredibly dangerous precedent, all based on a baseless legal theory about the application of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
In December, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump was disqualified from the state’s primary election after concluding that he engaged in “willful and direct participation in the insurrection.”
The Centennial State’s high court invoked Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, also known as the Disqualification Clause, to expel him from the ballot.
That clause states that “No person… shall hold any office, civil or military, under the United States… shall have participated in any insurrection or rebellion against the same, or shall have given aid or comfort to their enemies.”
Matt Gaetz has been a staunch ally of Donald Trump in the House. fake images
Immediately after Colorado, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, acted unilaterally to also disqualify him from that state’s primary election.
Both decisions are in limbo amid the Supreme Court’s Colorado decision. The two states also have their Republican presidential contests scheduled for March 5.
Supporters of the effort to remove Trump from the vote until his actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, ransacking of the Capitol.
Trump also faces a four-count indictment from the Department of Justice for alleged subversion in the 2020 election and a 13-count indictment from Georgia for alleged tampering with the 2020 election.
Donald Trump gave a speech on the White House ellipse before the riot at the Capitol unfolded. AFP via Getty Images
“The bottom line is that President Trump is not an insurrectionist nor did he incite an insurrection,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who co-sponsored the resolution, said in a statement.
“This narrative is simply a political distraction from the Biden administration’s failures, which span a crippled economy, record inflation, foreign policy missteps, and its disastrous handling of the border.”
Cory Mills supports the resolution. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Trump has overcome challenges to his electoral status in at least 35 states, according to the New York Times. So far Maine and Colorado are the only two states where he was disqualified pending an appeal.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not yet confirmed plans to bring that resolution to a floor vote, according to Gaetz.
“However, I sat next to him for seven years on the Judiciary Committee, so I’m pretty confident in his position,” Gaetz explained.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn