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“I do solemnly swear that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic…”
That’s the oath of office Senator
Ron Johnson took. And that’s the oath he has repeatedly violated. His efforts
to spread universally debunked conspiracy theories about the election being
stolen and his willingness to join with other Republican members of Congress in
obstructing yesterday’s formal, constitutionally mandated tally of the
Electoral College vote represent a shocking breach of trust.
The fact that at the 11th hour
Senator Johnson suddenly switched his objection vote after months of sowing
division with false and misleading claims about our election does not make up
for his complicity in fomenting yesterday’s insurrection.
Whether Senator Johnson and the
others who participated in this political malpractice are motivated by a
delusional belief in Donald Trump’s claims of electoral fraud or simply cynical
political calculation, they share responsibility for the shocking events in the
U.S. Capitol on January 6. Their complicity in this direct assault on our democratic
system is as clear as if they joined the rioters smashing windows, ransacking
the Capitol, and violating our nation’s most sacred civic space.
These actions are part of a
troubling and toxic loyalty to a political party rather than to the people they
were elected to serve. Sadly, at both the state and federal level, too many of
Wisconsin’s elected Republicans have consistently placed their personal
interests and preservation of partisan power ahead of the needs of the people
of our state.
The threat to our democracy that
this brand of hyper-partisanship represents was foreseen by our first
president. In his farewell address in 1796, George Washington warned attachment
to party over the common good, “agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies
and alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, and foments
occasionally riot and insurrection.”
It’s time for Senator Johnson and
other Wisconsin Republicans to free themselves from the grip of the
legitimately defeated 45th president and reflect on the wisdom of
our first.
In Solidarity,
Stephanie Bloomingdale, President
Schumer
calls for 25th Amendment to be invoked after Capitol riots
BY
JORDAIN CARNEY - 01/07/21 11:47 AM EST 1,196
Senate
Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Thursday called for President Trump
to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment after a pro-Trump mob
stormed the Capitol the day before.
“What
happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United
States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day
longer," Schumer said in a statement.
“The
quickest and most effective way — it can be done today — to remove this
president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the
25th amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up,
Congress should reconvene to impeach the president," he added.
Talk of
invoking the 25th Amendment has spiked since Wednesday, when rioters overran
the Capitol, breaching both the House and Senate chambers and suspending the
counting of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win for hours.
Congress reconvened on Wednesday night and formally finished tallying the win
early Thursday morning.
Schumer
is the highest-ranking Democrat to throw his support behind removing Trump from
office with roughly two weeks left in his administration. Democratic lawmakers,
outside groups and even GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) have thrown their
support behind the idea.
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is holding a press conference on Thursday
afternoon, has not weighed in on removing Trump through the 25th Amendment in
the wake of Wednesday's violence.
Pelosi
previously backed legislation last year that would create a panel to gauge a
president's capacity to perform the job — and potentially remove the commander
in chief from office.
Top
members of Schumer's leadership team have also backed removing Trump, while
acknowledging that Senate Republicans might not support impeachment with less
than two weeks to go.
"The
most immediate way to ensure the President is prevented from causing further
harm in coming days is to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office.
As history watches, I urge Vice President Pence and the President’s cabinet to
put country before party and act," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the No. 3
Senate Democrat, said in a statement early Thursday morning.
Sen. Dick
Durbin (D-Ill.), Schumer's No. 2, told reporters on Thursday that he thought
Trump's actions warranted impeachment.
"He
certainly deserves it…after what happened yesterday he should be removed from
office but I don’t believe there’s a stomach for it on the Republican side and
there’s very little time left," Durbin said.
A source
confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday night that administration officials have
started discussing the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove
Trump from office, an extraordinary step that would require a majority of
Cabinet officials plus Vice President Pence to declare to Congress that Trump
is unable to fulfill his duties as president.
Donald
Trump should be removed from office to preserve democracy, business leaders say
By Matt
Egan, CNN Business
Updated
9:18 PM EST, Wed January 06, 2021
New
York(CNN Business)The National Association of Manufacturers, one of the most
influential business groups in the US, called on Vice President Mike Pence
Wednesday to consider removing President Donald Trump from office.
The
statement from Republican-leaning NAM, the nation's largest manufacturing
association, marks perhaps the strongest political statement by a major
business group in modern history. And it puts an exclamation point on the
breakup between the business community and the self-styled CEO president.
Pence
"should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th
Amendment to preserve democracy," NAM CEO Jay Timmons, a former Republican
political operative, said in the statement.
Democracy
is under attack. And Wall Street is sounding the alarm
The
comments show just how appalled Corporate America is over the ongoing attack on
democracy. NAM, founded in 1895, is one of the oldest and most powerful
business groups in the nation, representing small and large manufacturers in
all 50 states.
The call
comes after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, interrupting the joint
session of Congress counting Electoral College votes. Pence was evacuated
during the chaos.
"The
outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any
elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and
rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy," Timmons said. He added,
"This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is
dangerous. This is sedition and it should be treated as such."
Business
community is 'horrified'
JPMorgan
Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, one of America's top business leaders, also condemned
the violence in Washington.
"This
is not who we are as a people or a country. We are better than this,"
Dimon said in a statement. "Our elected leaders have a responsibility to
call for an end to the violence, accept the results, and, as our democracy has
for hundreds of years, support the peaceful transition of power. Now is the
time to come together to strengthen our exceptional union."
Jeffrey
Sonnenfeld, founder of Yale University's Chief Executive Leadership Institute,
said the condemnation from NAM is unprecedented.
"Everyone
in the business community is horrified," Sonnenfeld told CNN Business.
Sonnenfeld
agreed with NAM's call for Pence and the Cabinet to consider the 25th
Amendment. "The business community will give them back-up," he said.
Manufacturing
group championed the Trump agenda
The call
by NAM is even more startling because the advocacy group is staunchly
pro-business and was a vocal supporter of Trump, cheering the president's tax
cuts, deregulation and efforts to revive manufacturing.
In
September 2017, Trump even delivered remarks at NAM's annual meeting in
Washington where he championed his economic vision.
In 2018,
Republican Congressman Kevin Brady, then chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee, said the Trump tax cuts wouldn't have been possible without the
support of NAM and Timmons, who has been CEO since 2011.
Before
joining NAM, Timmons served as the chief of staff to Republican Senator George
Allen of Virginia, and executive director of the National Republican Senatorial
Committee, according to his bio.
During
the 2020 election cycle, NAM contributed $165,000 to Republican Congressional
candidates, according to OpenSecrets. That marked 72% of the group's
contributions.
Chamber
of Commerce: Congress must meet tonight
In a
similar vein, the Business Roundtable, whose CEO members lead companies that
employ nearly 19 million people, called on Trump and other officials to
"put an end to the chaos and to facilitate the peaceful transition of
power."
"The
chaos unfolding in the nation's capital is the result of unlawful efforts to
overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election," the Business
Roundtable said in a statement.
The US
Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue called on Congress to gather "this
evening to conclude their Constitutional responsibility to accept the report of
the Electoral College."
Other
leaders across Wall Street and Corporate America similarly condemned the
violence in Washington and offered hope for calm ahead.
GM CEO
Mary Barra called for unity and said the violence at the US Capitol "does
not reflect who we are as a nation."
BlackRock
CEO Larry Fink decried the storming of the Capitol as an "assault on our
nation, our democracy and the will of the American people." Wells Fargo
CEO Charlie Scharf called for an "immediate end to this violence" and
for a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden.
IBM CEO
Arvind Krishna said in a tweet that the company "condemns today's
unprecedented lawlessness and we call for it to end immediately." The
condemnation comes a day after IBM announced the hiring of Gary Cohn, Trump's
former senior economic adviser.
Michael
Corbat, the CEO of Citigroup, said in a statement that he is
"disgusted" by those who stormed the US Capitol.
"While
these scenes are very difficult to watch," Corbat said, "I have faith
in our democratic process and know that the important work of Congress will
continue and that people will be held accountable for their actions."
-
American Bankers Association: "This is a dark day for our democracy. The
violence playing out on Capitol Hill and in the streets of Washington is
reprehensible and should shock and sadden all of us. Our nation is better than
this."
- Tim
Cook, CEO of Apple: "Today marks a sad and shameful chapter in our
nation's history. Those responsible for this insurrection should be held to
account, and we must complete the transition to President-elect Biden's
administration. It's especially when they are challenged that our ideals matter
most."
- Brian
Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America: "Today's appalling events in our
nation's capital underscore the urgent need for all American's to unite behind
one of our most cherished principles: the peaceful transfer of power that has
happened without interruption since our country's founding. We must move
forward together peacefully, respectfully and with a singular, shared focus on
our American ideals."
- Chuck
Robbins, CEO of Cisco: "What is happening in our nation's capital is
appalling and saddening. The United States has long served as a beacon of
democracy, and today we are reminded of both its importance and fragility.
@Cisco condemns the violence we have witnessed today & call for it to end
immediately.
"It's
time to recognize the legitimate democratic process, ensure a peaceful
transition of power and come back together as one nation."
- Guy
Rosen, Facebook VP, Integrity, and Monika Bickert, Facebook VP, Global Policy
Management: "Let us speak for the leadership team in saying what so many
of us are feeling. We are appalled by the violence at the Capitol today. We are
treating these events as an emergency. Our Elections Operations Center has
already been active in anticipation of the Georgia elections and the vote by
Congress to certify the election, and we are monitoring activity on our
platform in real time."
- Jim
Farley, CEO of Ford: "The Ford Motor Company condemns the violent and
antidemocratic actions today. These were destructive acts against our shared principles
and beliefs of a peaceful transition of power. We commit to working together,
with respect and empathy, to uphold core American values..."
- David
M. Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs: "For years, our democracy
has built a reservoir of goodwill around the world that brings important
benefits for our citizens. Recently, we have squandered that goodwill at an
alarming pace, and today's attack on the U.S. Capitol does further damage. It's
time for all Americans to come together and move forward with a peaceful
transition of power. We have to begin reinvesting in our democracy and
rebuilding the institutions that have made America an exceptional nation."
- Alfred
Kelly, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Visa: "I am shocked and saddened by what
I've seen today. We at Visa stand 100% behind the results of the election and
the collective voices of the citizens of this country. We are fully supportive
of a smooth transition of power which has been the case for almost two and a
half centuries. In this time of intense anxiety for our country and the world,
I continue to have tremendous faith in the resilience of our United States
institutions."
GOP Reps.
Tiffany, Fitzgerald object to certifying Biden win
By SCOTT
BAUER January 7, 2021 GMT
MADISON,
Wis. (AP) — Two Wisconsin Republicans objected to certifying Joe Biden’s
victories in a pair of states before his win was confirmed in a meeting of
Congress that was interrupted by the storming of the Capitol by a violent mob
loyal to President Donald Trump.
Reps. Tom
Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald, the state’s two newest members of Congress,
objected to certifying votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Those were the only
two states where votes on objection were taken.
U.S. Sen.
Ron Johnson initially signed on to an objection to Arizona’s votes before the
riot Wednesday afternoon, but ultimately voted against it and one in
Pennsylvania that occurred early Thursday. Leading up to the vote, Johnson was
part of a group of senators on the record as pushing for objections, citing
unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud and wrongdoing. In December, Johnson had said he wouldn’t object.
“We
needed to have the debate, but we also need to respect the rule of law and our
constitutional constraints,” Johnson told The Associated Press when asked to
explain his vote.
Texas
U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert objected to Wisconsin’s electoral votes, but no senator
signed on so there was no debate over that or vote on the objection.
Tiffany,
who represents northern Wisconsin’s expansive 7th Congressional District, was
first elected in a special election last year and then to a full two-year term
in November. Fitzgerald, the former state Senate majority leader, was elected
in November to replace the retiring Jim Sensenbrenner in a district that covers
western Milwaukee suburbs and counties between Madison and Milwaukee.
Tiffany
first announced on Tuesday that he would object. Fitzgerald did not say ahead
of the vote what he would do.
Joining
Johnson in voting against the objections were Republican Reps. Glenn Grothman,
Mike Gallagher and Bryan Steil along with Democrats Ron Kind, Gwen Moore, Mark
Pocan and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Biden won
Wisconsin by 20,695 votes, an outcome that was confirmed after Trump sought a
recount in the two most populated counties. Since the Nov. 3 election, Trump
and his allies filed eight lawsuits challenging Biden’s win on a variety of
fronts and lost in both state and federal court.
Biden,
who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20.