Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., says Congress should consider using the 14th Amendment to expel members of Congress for their actions and words in support of what transpired on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.
“They should look, absolutely. That should be a consideration,” Manchin said Friday during an appearance on PBS when asked if the 14th Amendment should be triggered to remove Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz.
“He understands that, Ted’s a very bright individual, and I get along fine with Ted. But what he did was totally outside of the realm of our responsibilities or our privileges.”
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment reads that no lawmaker holding office “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
Manchin, though, has called impeaching President Donald Trump ill-advised even though he “absolutely” believes the president incited the insurrection.
“The bottom line is we have to start healing our country and that’s not giving the president or any of his accomplices a pass at all. I think there’s going to be the judicial system very much involved in this investigation,” he said.
“There could be criminal charges coming to many people, including the president even if they’ve broken the law and I think all that will come due. But you can’t just jump to conclusions and expedite something from a political position because all it does is further entrenches the people who believe one way or the other.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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