Goldman on Censuring Stefanik: Members of Congress Can’t Be ‘Gearing up to Subvert Democracy’ Again
NY Republican referred to January 6 criminals as "hostages"
His pending move to censure fellow New York lawmaker Rep Elise Stefanik is about ensuring American democracy, according to Rep Dan Goldman.
Goldman, a Democrat, introduced a resolution Wednesday to censure Stefanik for conduct unbecoming of a member of Congress, including her support of criminal insurrectionists who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Stefanik is the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership and has become a frequent mention as a potential running mate to Donald Trump as he again seeks the presidency this year.
Just one day after the third anniversary of January 6, Stefanik was on national TV echoing Trump’s rhetoric by calling those violent insurrectionists who have been convicted “hostages,” Goldman noted.
“It was sort of the breaking point, I think. Her rhetoric and support for the January 6 insurrectionists and for generally the conspiracy theories peddled by the criminal defendant Donald Trump have been ratcheting up,” Goldman said in an on-camera interview with MSNBC. “And it’s one thing for rank-and-file member to be saying those things; it is altogether something different for the number four person in the leadership of the House to be attacking our democracy, giving support to those who attacked this Capitol where I stand right now, instead of doing the work of the House and passing a budget and providing aid to our allies around the world and addressing issues such as the border and inflation and other things that the American people care about.”
Since the Capitol attack, Stefanik has continued to support the January 6 insurrectionists by filing bogus ethics complaints against a federal judge overseeing various criminal cases involving January 6 insurrectionists, falsely referring to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of Trump as “attempts to criminalize the First Amendment,” and peddling conspiracy theories related to the “Big Lie” that helped incite the January 6 insurrection, Goldman added.
“But this is 2024, Chris. It’s an election year, and we just cannot have members of Congress who are lining up, gearing up to subvert our democracy once again,” Goldman told host Chris Hayes. “It just felt like we need to lay a marker down right now. I don’t care what Donald Trump says, but sitting members of Congress have a separate oath to this body and to our Constitution.”
Please support our work…
Please subscribe…