Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), senior member of the House Committee on the Judiciary and former impeachment manager today was joined by 40 of colleagues in introducing legislation to bar former President Trump from holding federal office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
“Donald Trump very clearly engaged in an insurrection on January 6, 2021 with the intention of overturning the lawful and fair results of the 2020 election. You don’t get to lead a government you tried to destroy,” said Congressman Cicilline. “Even Mitch McConnell admits that Trump bears responsibility, saying on the Senate floor that ‘[t]here’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.’ The 14th Amendment makes clear that based on his past behavior, Donald Trump is disqualified from ever holding federal office again and, under Section 5, Congress has the power to pass legislation to implement this prohibition.”
The legislation details testimony and evidence demonstrating how Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States. It specifically details how Donald Trump engaged in insurrection when he helped to plan and encouraged the insurgence on January 6th despite knowing that the election results were lawful; attempted to intimidate state and federal officials when they did not support his false claims and unlawful plans; tried to manipulate Mike Pence into unlawfully refusing to certify the election results, despite Mr. Pence’s and legal advisors’ assertion that he held no such authority; and supported the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, refusing for hours to denounce or act against the mob and putting thousands of lives in danger.
Original cosponsors of the legislation include Representatives Earl Blumenauer; Jamaal Bowman; Tony Cardenas; Andre Carson; Sean Casten; Judy Chu; Yvette Clarke; Emanuel Cleaver, II; Gerald E. Connolly; Danny K. Davis; Mark DeSaulnier; Adriano Espaillat; Dwight Evans; Jimmy Gomez; Al Green; Sheila Jackson Lee; Pramila Jayapal; Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr.; Mondaire Jones; Conor Lamb; Barbara Lee; Ted W. Lieu; Alan Lowenthal; James P. McGovern; Jerry McNerney; Marie Newman; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Donald M. Payne, Jr.; Chellie Pingree; Lucille Roybal-Allard; Jan Schakowsky; Mark Takano; Rashida Tlaib; Ritchie Torres; Nydia M. Velázquez; Bonnie Watson Coleman; Nikema Williams; Frederica S. Wilson.
