New Jersey representative Bill Pascrell has urged House speaker Nancy Pelosi to bar 126 GOP members from taking their seats, claiming that their support for President Trump's failed Texas lawsuit made them 'traitors' who had violated the Constitution.
Pascrell, 83, argued Saturday that the House members who signed an amicus brief supporting the court-case, including House Minority leader and California representative Kevin McCarthy, had broken their oaths to uphold the Constitution and should be banned from sitting in the 117th Congress and called on Pelosi to take action.
The Texas attorney general Ken Paxton's suit, supported by 17 other state attorneys general, attempted to reject millions of votes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, whose citizens chose President-elect Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
The case was thrown out by the Supreme Court on Friday.
Pascrell cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868 during post Civil War reconstruction period and was designed to keep traitors out of state, federal or military positions.
It is sometimes called the 'disqualification clause'.
The Democratic law-maker, who has represented parts of New Jersey on and off since 1997, tweeted: 'The text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems a pretty clear example of that'.
Representative Bill Pascrell, a Democrat from New Jersey, has launched a bid to persuade House speaker Nancy Pelosi to refuse to seat the 126 GOP members who sought to overtturn the election result. Pictured here on January 9 during a bill enrollment ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C
Pascrell tweeted his official bid to have the 126 GOP law-makers unseated for seeking to 'make Donald Trump an unelected dictator'
Pascrell cited section 3 of the 14th Amendment which is designed to keep traitors out of office
House speaker Nancy Pelosi, pictured during a news conference in Capitol Hill on Decem,ber 10, has been asked to stop the 126 'rebel' GOPs from taking their seats
In his statement to House leaders Pascrell said that the 126 members were attempting to 'obliterate public confidence in our democratic system' by installing an 'unelected dictator'.
He urged Pelosi to take action and said: 'I call on you to exercise the power of your offices to evaluate steps you can take to address these constitutional violations this Congress and, if possible, refuse to seat in the 117th Congress any Members-elect seeking to make Donald Trump an unelected dictator.'
Pascrell added: 'Men and women who would act to tear the United States government apart cannot serve as Members of the Congress. These lawsuits seeking to obliterate public confidence in our democratic system by invalidating the clear results of the 2020 presidential election undoubtedly attack the text and spirit of the Constitution, which each Member swears to support and defend.'
He later widened his call in a tweet: 'Today I’m calling on House leaders to refuse to seat any Members trying to overturn the election and make Donald Trump an unelected dictator.'
House speaker Pelosi has not yet responded but in a letter published Friday night, she called the politicians involved in the lawsuits 'engaged in election subversion that imperils our democracy.'
After the 2020 race was called for President-elect Biden, Trump and his allies immediately filed lawsuits against multiple states, baselessly accusing them of perpetuating and covering up election fraud. Of the dozens of lawsuits he filed, none have been successful.
The amicus brief was led by staunch Trump ally and Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Out-going President Donald Trump has lost multiple lawsuits in his attempt to overturn the election result
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, pictured at the Austin Police Association on Thursday Sept 10, led a failed bid in Texas to overturn the election result
126 GOP members signed the briefing supporting the baseless Texas lawsuit
Pascrell has asked House speaker Nancy Pelosi to bar the GOP members from being sworn in
Following Friday's announcement that the Supreme Court wouldn't hear the case, Trump and his allies issues several drastic statements.
Texas GOP Chairman Allen West said some states should break away from the rest of the United States and 'bond together' in a call for secession not seen since the Civil War.
Others, including vloggers Diamond and Silk questioned: 'where is the military?'
The Supreme Court earlier this week rejected a bid from Pennsylvania Republicans to undo Biden’s win in the state. The order was unsigned and had no noted dissents.
Pascrell previously called for an investigation into the entire Trump administration when Biden takes office.
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