Posted on 11/16/2022 9:27:58 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) plans to introduce legislation that is meant to prevent Donald Trump from holding office again. He sent a letter to his Democrat colleagues in Congress on Tuesday night, the night that Trump announced his candidacy for President in 2024. Cicilline’s letter previewed the bill for his colleagues but didn’t say when he plans to introduce it. He listed a deadline of Thursday at noon for lawmakers who wish to cosponsor the bill.
Cicilline is not exactly an impartial observer. He was a House impeachment manager for Trump’s second impeachment trial. He is citing the 14th Amendment to justify trying to stop Trump from running for office.
“Given the proof – demonstrated through the January 6th Committee Hearings, the 2021 impeachment trial, and other reporting – that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection on January 6th with the intention of overturning the lawful 2020 election results, I have drafted legislation that would prevent Donald Trump from holding public office again under the Fourteenth Amendment,” a letter Cicilline is circulating in Congress reads.
The letter says that Trump, “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.” It specifically cites how Trump tried to influence Mike Pence to abuse his role as the leader of the Senate and reject the results of the 2020 election so that Trump could remain in the White House.
Last year, Cicilline introduced articles of impeachment in the House that led to Trump’s second impeachment. He was later named one of the impeachment managers and brought the case to the Senate.
“We’ve seen this back-sliding of democracy and attempted coups in places all over the world, but never imagined it could ever happen in the United States of America,” he later told The Hill. “And we were watching it unfold before our very eyes. So it was really clear to me from that very first moment that we had to do something to hold the president at the time accountable for his incitement of this violence.”
Good luck with that one, buddy. Some of us may not prefer that Trump runs again in the 2024 GOP presidential primary but if he is successful in that primary, I don’t see the fever dream of an impeachment manager holding much sway in stopping Trump from running. Sure, Trump was impeached twice but he was not removed from office. This country is deeply divided and such a move would simply serve to unite Republicans behind Trump, not repel them to whichever Democrat runs in 2024.
Cicilline argued that Trump should be barred from holding office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the “Disqualification Clause,” which says individuals should not be allowed “to hold any office” if they “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
The congressman said his bill “details testimony and evidence demonstrating how Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States,” pointing to revelations from Jan. 6 select committee hearings.
“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,” the letter reads.
Democrats have tried since Trump was elected to get rid of him and/or prevent him from running again in 2024. The January 6 hearings were all about dinging up Trump in advance of 2024. This effort by Cicilline is likely doomed before it even gets started. If legislation is introduced, though, he will have to present a process for how to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says the text is vague.
“It is unclear whether Section 3 is self-executing, which, if it is not, would leave federal and state courts or election authorities without power to determine the eligibility of candidates unless Congress enacts legislation to permit it. Courts have produced mixed results on this question,” the CRS report reads.
“Section 3 does not expressly provide a procedure for its implementation other than Section 5’s general authority of Congress ‘to enforce [the Fourteenth Amendment’ by appropriate legislation,’” it adds.
An abundance of long knives are out for Trump now after his announcement last night. The Never Trump grifters at The Lincoln Project who have made millions of dollars off of angry Democrats have a video out today and it sounds a little incite-y if you ask me.
Did you notice the conservatives or conservative-leaning people they chose to spotlight in that video? The only people who sounded angry after that announcement were not named Donald Trump but those who are predisposed to oppose Trump. Trump was very calm, almost eerily calm, and collected during the announcement. He stayed on message and didn’t bring up his grievances about 2020. His speech was not made of the red meat we are accustomed to hearing when Trump’s on the campaign trail.
Up until the announcement on Tuesday night, only Rep. Elise Stefanik (New York), a member of House leadership, had endorsed him for 2024. Just before his speech from Mar-a-Lago last night, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene endorsed him.
🚨 BREAKING: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene endorses President Trump
“President Trump has my complete and total endorsement for President in 2024! 🇺🇸” —@RepMTG pic.twitter.com/UQJR8yGJpT
— MTG Clips (@MTG_Clips) November 15, 2022
Biden’s handlers released a video on his Twitter account firing back at Trump’s announcement.
“Trump failed America,” the video concludes after attacking Trump on abortion, the economy and Jan. 6.
A reporter asked Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia if they had a reaction to Trump’s announcement. The two shared a faint smile and Biden said “not really,” while Macron stayed silent.
Is it going to be another Trump and Biden race in 2024, or a DeSantis and Biden race in 2024?
I thought THE PEOPLE chose the Pres.
This is going absolutely nowhere. Just more Rat grandstanding.
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“Is it legal?”
Of course not. But that has never stopped a Democrat before.
Since he hasn’t been convicted of anything, I don’t see how they can prevent him. They’re terrified of him.
If this goes anywhere it will be challenged in court and thry will lose.
Maybe they should have read the Constitution before they shredded it. This is clearly an unconstitutional bill of attainder.
Is that constitutional?
LOL! What do you think?
The People can’t be allowed to pick a President. Only the radical progressive elites on BOTH sides of the aisle should be allowed to pick our President. We obviously aren’t smart enough.
They are afraid of Trump and are throwing everything at him they can think of.
Democrats and the Constitution...right...
Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 (”No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed”)
From the article: “This country is deeply divided and such a move would simply serve to unite Republicans behind Trump, not repel them to whichever Democrat runs in 2024.”
That maybe the plan because they think they know how to defeat Trump. Just like they funded republicans in certain primaries they thought would be easiest to beat in the general election.
To all you in Rhode Island that voted for that clown. Shame on you. An all blue state. How’s that working out for you????
The democrats have a hell of a time trying to give up their Klan ways obey or burn is in their blood.
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