Utah Republican says Trump must face ‘meaningful consequences’ for inciting insurrection at U.S. Capitol
Sen. Mitt Romney reiterated Tuesday that President Donald Trump must face consequences for inciting a riot in Washington, D.C., last week that left five people dead.
The Utah Republican also called on elected officials to acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden was legitimately elected as president and to “very forcefully” denounce violence leading up to the inauguration and afterward.
“I think those are two messages that would be very, very helpful in calming people and in getting back to normalcy,” he said.
Romney made the comments via videoconference at the Salt Lake Chamber’s annual Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit on Tuesday.
Utah’s four Republican congressmen, who were called back to Washington as House Democrats prepare to impeach Trump, provided prerecorded speeches for the event, mostly focused on the economy. None of them addressed the pro-Trump takeover of the U.S. Capitol last week or the impending articles of impeachment.
The Secret Service will begin carrying out security measures for the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration on Wednesday, almost a week earlier than planned because of last week’s rioting and threats of more protests that have raised questions about safety at the ceremony.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged federal authorities to place rioters identified in the pro-Trump mob on the Transportation Security Administration’s no-fly list ahead of the inauguration to prevent further clashes in the nation’s capital.
The House is scheduled to vote on a resolution Tuesday night that calls on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team informed members on a private call Monday they will need to return to the Capitol — for many, the first time since the Jan. 6 attacks — on Tuesday, according to Politico. Impeachment is scheduled for consideration at 9 a.m. Wednesday, if Trump refuses to resign and Pence won’t initiate other procedures to remove him.
“I think what you’re seeing in Washington is a recognition that what happened at the Capitol was an outrageous violation of the Capitol building, of course, itself, but also democratic principles and the peaceful transfer of power,” Romney said. “There’s recognition that consequences of some kind have to be associated with the incitation of the insurrection that we saw. What those consequences might be depend in part upon who you’re talking to.”
Romney said Monday that there must be “meaningful consequences” when the president incites an attack against Congress.
If the House impeaches Trump, the articles of impeachment would go to the Senate, though Pelosi declined to say Tuesday when that would be. The Senate is scheduled to return to session Jan. 19, a day ahead of the inauguration.
Romney said if the articles reach the Senate, he presumes there would be different points of view which would be resolved by the evidence brought forward.
“Obviously, this is a time of great concern,” he said.
Romney was the only Republican in the Senate who voted to remove Trump from office after he was impeached the first time.
In a video posted on Twitter, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said he’s “deeply concerned and troubled” as the House takes up impeachment again. He posted periodic videos about the process when Trump was impeached in 2019.
“I didn’t know that I would ever be doing these again, and particularly, so soon,” he said.
Curtis described the first video as “nuts and bolts” and said he would share his feelings about impeachment in a future video
Let’s talk through the nuts and bolts of what’s happening this week as I prepare to fly back to DC tomorrow. #impeachment #utpol pic.twitter.com/xrCm2v6pCd
— Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) January 12, 2021
Curtis did issue a statement Monday saying a 48-hour impeachment process has no chance of reaching a thoughtful conclusion, holds no consideration for the millions of people who have voted for Trump, and will do nothing to unite the country or answer the many questions needing resolution.
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2XzSDnm
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