Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which is a government watchdog organization that engages in tactics like attempting to uncover potential examples of government corruption, is continuing to push the prospect of formally finding Trump disqualified from federal office for his role in inciting the 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
The connection between what happened and his actions and rhetoric is objectively obvious. Members of the crowd were trumpeting their support for the then-president, and following the violence, Trump has repeatedly spoken out on their behalf, recently pushing for individuals detained in connection to the violence to be released. In those comments, he made what was no apparent distinction between accused rioters charged with violence and those whose allegations didn’t reflect such actions, suggesting he was essentially fine with what in reality was — among other things — beating police with a baseball bat if it suits his cause. These people can not credibly claim they’re somehow inexorably on the side of law enforcement, whether those doing the claiming are Trump or individuals in the GOP helping prop him up.
CREW pointed observers to the rules in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution blocking individuals involved in insurrection from holding office — something Democrats including Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) hoped to provide a formal framework for implementing in the last Congress, although that proposal didn’t really go anywhere. (It would’ve provided for pursuing formally confirming action in D.C. court, should a candidate be suspected of having essentially disqualified themselves.)
On Twitter, CREW recently reposted a link to a statement from their executive director, Noah Bookbinder, who said: “It is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that Donald Trump incited an insurrection that led to the deadly attack on the Capitol. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, he is disqualified from ever holding public office again. Responsibility now shifts to prosecutors to enforce the law and to state officials and courts to ensure that he does not appear on a ballot. The January 6th Committee showed vision and courage in their investigation. Now it shifts to government leaders to do their part.”
Just a reminder that under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, Trump is disqualified from ever holding public office again. https://t.co/sninj8IA7k
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 10, 2023
