Candidates who care about democracy should answer Enquirer's survey on Jan. 6, Trump

After reading reporter Scott Wartman’s story about Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Russell Mock’s advice to Republican candidates to not answer the Enquirer’s questions about Donald Trump and Jan. 6, I wanted to let the Enquirer know I will be getting my questionnaire back to you in a few days. Even though I am running for Congress in the Republican primary in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District (which is outside of Hamilton County), I am pleased to answer these questions, which every candidate who cares about our democracy should.

Opinion Editor Kevin Aldridge's take: County GOP chair Mock's boycott of Enquirer survey speaks volumes

Should Donald Trump hold office if convicted of a crime?

In my opinion, Trump should not hold office if convicted of the serious felonies with which he is charged. In fact, I agree with former Congresswoman Liz Cheney that Trump is "clearly unfit for future office (and) clearly can never be anywhere near the Oval Office ever again." Trump, in effect, attempted a coup by seeking to overturn a valid election by submitting lists of fake electors, putting pressure on Justice Department officials, state leaders and Vice President Mike Pence to claim fraud where there was none, and inciting a violent attack on our Capitol.

How would I describe the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?

The events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were an insurrection, pure and simple. Then-President Trump, Rudy Giuliani and others incited the crowd to march to the Capitol and disrupt the lawful counting of electoral votes. The proof of Trump’s intention is that he sat around for close to three hours in the White House, watching his followers beat up police officers, break doors and windows, and spread their feces on the walls of the citadel of our democracy, without doing anything to stop it. He did this despite the pleas of his family, his staff and his allies in Congress and on Fox News to stop the violence which was unfolding. I note, by the way, that Hamilton County Republican Chairman Russell Mock apparently disagrees with Trump about Jan. 6 because Trump has said that what occurred at the Capitol was beautiful and those incarcerated for their conduct are "patriots" and "hostages"; whereas Mock is quoted in the Enquirer as saying, "Jan. 6 was a terrible day in our history."

While I respect Chairman Mock, I am disappointed that he is discouraging our Republican candidates from answering critical questions that relate to the fate of our democracy. As noted on my campaign website, protecting our democracy is one of the crucial issues that I stand on.

Phil Heimlich is a former assistant prosecutor in Cincinnati who has served as a Republican on Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Commission. He is a candidate in the March 19 Republican primary for Congress in Ohio's 2nd District. During the 2020 campaign, he helped lead Operation Grant, the Ohio affiliate of Republican Voters Against Trump. In 2022, he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Congress in Ohio’s 8th District. Follow him on Twitter:@philheimlich.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: County Republican chair Mock's boycott of Enquirer survey disappointing