New York State Senate lawmakers banded together on Thursday, calling on congressional leaders and acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to hold President Donald Trump accountable for the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
State Sen. Liz Krueger, and 35 other senators, sent a letter saying that the president “directly incited and encouraged an armed and violent insurrection against the government of the United States.”
The letter states:
“We draw your attention to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states: ‘No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.’"
In light of yesterday’s appalling events, we, the undersigned members of the New York State Senate, call on the United States Congress to hold President Donald J. Trump accountable for inciting an insurrection against the government of the United States, using all avenues available, up to and including impeachment and immediate removal from office.”
The letter also calls for the expulsion of any congressional members who encouraged or assisted any of the president’s supporters that stormed the Capitol.
Since the events on Wednesday, lawmakers across the state on both the local level and in Congress have been calling for the president’s removal from office.
The lawmakers aren't alone. New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement also called for an investigation and potential charges.
“Not since foreign invaders attacked the Capitol more than 200 years ago has Washington, D.C. been attacked," she said.
"But Wednesday, not under the command of foreign leaders, but of our very own commander-in-chief, did American citizens attempt to overthrow our government. For months, President Trump, his family, and his associates have espoused wild conspiracy theories that led to these acts of terror and sedition, and which elected officials are sworn to defend against. I am calling on the Justice Department to immediately begin an investigation into this attempt at insurrection and to hold all those responsible for their roles in fanning the flames that led to this failed coup.”