News from Nov 13 Point 3

There are ways, which will not be used, to object to the seating of those members of Congress who cooperated with the capital insurrection. Mr. Jefferson’s Manual is the controlling procedure, which provides for objecting to members of the House taking the oath. This is too late to stop an insurrectionist speaker from being elected (such as someone who was rounding up members to join lawsuits to overturn the election). Also, at any time, members could have submitted names of these members to the Ethics Committee to investigate their involvement to the events of that day. They still can. 

The Select Committee on the January 6th Insurrection should have submitted names as the involvement of members was discovered (such as the members of the House who met with President Trump in December 2020). They could have also asked the bipartisan Ethics Committee to add investigating insurrection to their rules – both regarding members and presidents elect. 

When the Committee reports out each case, instead of requiring a two-thirds majority to expel the member or to invoke the 20th Amendment making the vice president elect the acting president, a two thirds majority of each house would be required to seat the member or president-elect.

 In neither case would this change the partisan majority in the House, whose voters would have likely replaced the expelled members with another Republican. The president elect would be replaced by the VP elect, who will also be acting president if Trump’s mental and physical health continues to decline.

These steps would take courage – especially as they have no electoral benefit (except regarding Ron Johnson or others Republican senators with Democratic Governors. Ted Cruz’s seat would still be Republican, as would many insurrectionist Senators. I don’t expect Democratic members to show such leadership without electoral benefit.

It would take even more courage for Republicans to police themselves – especially regarding Gabbard and Gaetz. Are they serious?