In Georgia, a group of voters has filed a new legal challenge to the candidacy for re-election of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), arguing that she is not qualified to run for Congress because of her ties to the attack on the Capitol last year. As explained by Free Speech for People — a legal advocacy group that’s the co-lead counsel for this effort — the new legal challenge “alleges that Greene is constitutionally disqualified from public office under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, on the grounds that she helped facilitate the January 6, 2021 insurrection.” That portion of the Constitution bars individuals who engaged in insurrection or provided certain assistance to enemies of the United States from serving in Congress.
The Select Committee is requesting that Ivanka Trump provide information for the committee’s investigation.
In a letter to Ms. Trump seeking a voluntary interview, Chair @BennieGThompson underscored evidence that Trump was in direct contact with the former President on Jan 6th.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) January 20, 2022
It’s worth noting that, despite previous attempts by certain figures on the Right to essentially downplay what happened, the Capitol riot has been essentially formally confirmed to have been connected to a seditious conspiracy. Federal prosecutors rolled out seditious conspiracy charges against numerous individuals involved in the violent, far-right group called the Oath Keepers — and one of those individuals, Joshua James, has pleaded guilty to the offense and agreed to provide information to investigators. Other legal representatives involved in the Georgia matter include the New York-based firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP and Atlanta civil rights lawyer Bryan Sells. Notably, Free Speech for People observes in reference to that portion of the Fourteenth Amendment that no “criminal conviction or prior adjudication is required under the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause, although Greene would be able to seek judicial review of an adverse decision.”
The Select Committee subpoenas 6 individuals who promoted false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and participated in various actions based on those false claims.
• Cleta Mitchell
• Kenneth Chesebro
• Christina Bobb
• Katherine Friess
• Kurt Olsen
• Phillip Kline— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) March 1, 2022
Now that this formal challenge to Greene’s eligibility to run for federal office has been filed, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) is apparently required under Georgia law to ask for a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge of Georgia’s Office of State Administrative Hearings to examine the question of whether Greene is qualified. According to Free Speech for People, Greene would then have the legal burden of proving her eligibility to run. Those behind this legal challenge to her candidacy for re-election apparently hope to take a deposition from Greene under oath, which they reference hasn’t been done in relation to Capitol riot investigations so far. Free Speech for People alleges that “the evidence shows that [Greene] either helped to plan the attack on January 6, or alternatively helped to plan the pre-attack demonstration and/or march on the Capitol with knowledge that it was substantially likely to lead to the attack, and otherwise voluntarily aided the insurrection.”
Between Election Day 2020 and January 6th, the RNC and the Trump campaign solicited donations by pushing false claims that the election was tainted by widespread fraud.
These emails encouraged supporters to put pressure on Congress to keep President Trump in power.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) March 10, 2022
In one example of Greene’s troubling rhetoric, Free Speech for People notes that she said, “You can’t allow it to just transfer power ‘peacefully’ like Joe Biden wants and allow him to become our president because he did not win this election. He’s guilty of treason. It’s a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.” Greene was removed from her committee roles in the House after past social media activity of hers resurfaced indicating apparent support on her part for executing prominent Democrats, although that rhetoric wasn’t the only issue. Separate from all of these concerns, it’s not as though Greene has been behaving in a particularly reassuring fashion — “You see Ukraine just kept poking the bear, poking the bear, which is Russia, and Russia invaded,” she recently claimed, apparently blaming Ukrainians for Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade their country in recent weeks.
🚨 BREAKING:
We are representing a group of Georgia voters in a challenge to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s candidacy for re-election under Sec 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies insurrectionists from re-election. #MTGIsDisqualifiedLearn more here: https://t.co/tNYTDb8BKr pic.twitter.com/8IyHTsgBo4
— FreeSpeechForPeople (@FSFP) March 24, 2022