Donald Trump's allies, critics clash over push to disqualify the former president over Capitol riot violence

WASHINGTON – Supporters of ex-President Donald Trump and his critics clashed Sunday over whether Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021 − and his refusal for hours to speak out against the riot − disqualify him from 2024 ballots.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said states and courts will decide whether Trump should be on the ballot. But Trump's actions surrounding Jan. 6 and his silence during the attack on the U.S. Capitol means he should never be president again.

"What is very clear is that the American people want us to honor our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," Pelosi said on ABC's "This Week."

Pelosi's comments come as legal fights are playing out across the country while advocates seek to disqualify Trump from seeking reelection under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Colorado's Supreme Court ruled last month that Trump was barred from another term – and therefore banned from that state’s primary ballot – by a Civil War-era provision in the 14th Amendment intended to keep federal officials who sided with the Confederacy from regaining power in the reconstructed federal government.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who served as the vice chair of the House Committee that investigated the insurrection, on Sunday told CBS' "Face the Nation" she believes Trump "ought to be disqualified from holding office in the future" and that the case against the former president will work its way through the justice system.

Meanwhile, Republican supporters of Trump in general downplayed Jan. 6 in a series of interviews on Sunday, preferring instead to bash Democrats over the lawsuits seeking to bar him from the ballot.

"What we're seeing so far is that Democrats are so desperate, they're trying to remove President Trump from the ballot," said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaking on NBC's "Meet The Press."

The Supreme Court said Friday it will take up an appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that would block Trump's reelection bid in the state.

Donald Trump didn't want to stop Jan. 6, report says

The legal fight over Trump's candidacy and the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack have also generated more revelations about Trump's conduct that day, ahead of a federal trial charging with conspiracy to try to steal the 2020 election.

ABC News reported that special counsel Jack Smith has statements from the former president's aides about Trump refusing to lend his voice to stopping the Capitol riot, though he watching it on TV in the White House.

Dan Scavino, an aide in Trump's administration and on Trump's 2024 campaign team, told investigators that, as Jan. 6 riot unfolded, Trump "was just not interested" in doing more to help stop it, ABC reported.

Another aide, Nick Luna, told investigators that Trump did not seem to care when he was told that then-Vice President Mike Pence – the recipient of death threats from pro-Trump demonstrators − had to be rushed to a secure location within the U.S. Capitol. "So what," Trump reportedly said, ABC reported.

During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Pence said Trump acted recklessly on Jan. 6. But while the former vice president said he hopes Republican voters pick another candidate, he also argued Trump should not be kicked off the ballot.

"I believe that history and the American people will hold him ultimately to account for his role in that day," Pence said, adding that "these efforts to take the decision away from the American people are really antithetical to the very democracy that the President Biden and many Democrats talk about wanting to defend."

Trump downplays Jan. 6 violence

Trump continued to distort the violence on Jan. 6, 2021 during weekend campaign stops in Iowa. The former president falsely described imprisoned rioters as "hostages" and has said he would pardon rioters if he is reelected to the presidency. He also incorrectly described the riot as as "peaceful."

Officials in Colorado and Maine cited the Capitol attack in ruling that Trump is ineligible for the presidency and therefore barred from ballot.

Trump allies, saying the states are misapplying the Constitution for political reasons, are confident the Supreme Court will rule their way.

During a Friday rally in Iowa, Trump did express some concern that some of conservative justices are facing "pressure" and might rule against him.

“All I want is fair," Trump said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6: Trump, Biden allies clash over push to bar former president