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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 23 January 2023

Lawmakers seek to bar insurrectionists from holding office

Continued from Front of sedition, rebellion, insur- of the nation.
rection or a felony related The opposing realities
He is sponsoring a bill that to one of those acts from came into sharp focus this
would bar people con- running for or holding pub- month in Pennsylvania dur-
victed of engaging in an lic office. Senate Major- ing a fraught exchange
insurrection or rebellion ity Leader Bob Duff, who between two lawmakers.
against the United States introduced the measure, In a committee hearing,
from holding civil office, told The Associated Press Republican state Sen. Cris
meaning they would not that he wants the legisla- Dush slammed his gavel as
be able to serve as a judge tion eventually to bar them he ruled Democratic state
or member of the Legisla- from holding state or mu- Sen. Amanda Cappelletti
ture. Hoylman-Sigal said nicipal jobs. out of order after she de-
he introduced the bill this The legislation in the states scribed the U.S. Capitol on
year because he saw more comes after the House Jan. Jan. 6 as “the site of an in-
people who were involved 6 committee’s final report, surrection.”
in the riot in Washington on Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump try to break which found Donald Trump “Insurrection, nobody
Jan. 6, 2021, running for of- through a police barrier, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in criminally engaged in a has been charged with
fice last year. Washington. conspiracy to overturn the that,” Dush said. “There’s
He described the assault Associated Press lawful results of the 2020 not been a single charge
on the Capitol as “a real presidential election he lost against any of those peo-
attack on the foundations the second anniversary of of public trust — including and failed to take action to ple as insurrectionists. In this
of our free and fair democ- the Capitol riot, that would those involving policymak- stop his supporters from at- committee, we are not us-
racy and the values which prohibit anyone convicted ing, law enforcement, safe- tacking the Capitol. ing that term.”
enable that to persist.” of a felony related to an ty, education or health. The committee’s recently Nearly 1,000 people have
A Virginia lawmaker intro- attempted insurrection or A Connecticut bill would concluded work may have been charged in the Capi-
duced a bill this month, on riot from serving in positions prohibit people convicted provided another spring- tol riot with federal crimes,
board for lawmakers to with about half of them
act and propose ways to pleading guilty to riot-relat-
hold people accountable, ed charges and more than
said Victoria Bassetti, a se- three dozen convicted at
nior policy adviser at States trial. The charges range
United Democracy Center, from misdemeanors for
a nonpartisan organiza- those accused of entering
tion that advocates for fair the Capitol illegally but not
elections. participating in violence to
Some Republicans say the felony seditious conspiracy
legislation is unnecessary. for far-right extremist group
In New York, Republican members accused of plot-
Assemblyman Will Barclay, ting to stop the transfer of
the minority leader, called presidential power.
the bill there a “political In November, two lead-
statement,” saying it is ers of the Oath Keepers
“more political than it is a extremist group were con-
concern about public pol- victed of seditious conspir-
icy.” acy for what prosecutors
He said existing rules al- alleged was a weekslong
ready apply to people in plot to use force to keep
certain positions who are Trump in office. Leaders
convicted of crimes and of the Proud Boys and ad-
that those laws “should be ditional members of the
sufficient.” Oath Keepers are currently
The legislation is another standing trial on the sedi-
example of how the Capi- tion charge, which carries
tol riot has become a po- up to 20 years behind bars.
litical Rorschach test in the Weeks after the committee
country. exchange, Cappelletti told
Many Republicans refuse The Associated Press that
to see the attempt to vio- it’s important to make sure
lently halt the presidential people understand that
certification — which was the attack on the Capitol
based on lies that 2020 was an insurrection.
election was stolen — as “These are factually cor-
an insurrection, while a rect things,” she said.
strong majority of the party “That doesn’t mean that
continues to believe that we can’t disagree politi-
President Joe Biden was cally about policy or other
not legitimately elected. things, but we can ac-
Even students are being knowledge that that hap-
taught different versions of pened and start to figure
the attack, depending on out how we move forward
whether they live in more to work together to build up
conservative or liberal parts that public trust again.”q