RI Congressman Cicilline leads effort to bar Trump from running again under 14th Amendment
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PROVIDENCE − Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline is heading up an effort to ban former President Donald Trump from ever holding public office again under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In a letter sent to his congressional colleagues ahead of Trump's announcement on Tuesday night that he is running to regain the office he has repeatedly claimed was stolen from him in 2020, Democrat Cicilline cited the section of the 14th Amendment that says:
“No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States … 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.”
"Given the proof – demonstrated through the January 6th Committee Hearings, the 2021 impeachment trial and other reporting – that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection on January 6th with the intention of overturning the lawful 2020 election results," Cicilline said. "I have drafted legislation that would prevent Donald Trump from holding public office again under the Fourteenth Amendment."
"The legislation details testimony and evidence demonstrating how Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States," Cicilline said.
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Leading Rhode Island Republicans against Trump's bid for president
While the Democrat is seeking to block Trump's comeback bid, leading Rhode Island Republicans have either gone silent on Trump's announcement Tuesday night or voiced their reservations about the attempted return of the divisive former president to the national GOP stage.
Asked if he thought Trump's comeback bid was good for the state and local GOP − and for the country − Rhode Island Republican National Committeeman Steve Frias said: "Former President Trump had many good policies, but it is time to move on from him.
"Trump running again is bad for the party, and the country," Frias continued. "The midterm elections showed that swing voters in swing states are not backing candidates who back Trump’s claims about the 2020 election. Trump’s refusal to accept that he lost in 2020 will likely cause him to lose again in 2024. Although President Biden is unpopular, Trump is more unpopular. Many people do not want either of them to be president.
"Can’t we find someone under the age of 75 to lead this country?"
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Rhode Island House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale also gave a thumbs down, saying:
"Donald Trump’s presidency served a need from 2016-2020 – when the people rejected the Clinton legacy and instead chose an outsider to change the course of this nation. Regrettably, despite some outstanding policies during his tenure, his demeanor and behavior since 2016 made him the focus of the media, the Democrats and the people.
"That focus and the messaging associated with it was extremely polarizing and destructive to our nation. While I embrace many of the initiatives that were adopted during his term, I do not embrace him as a presidential candidate.
"In the American political system we do not embrace cults of personality − we embrace ideals and policy positions and we support those we feel can best deliver on what we feel will move our nation forward. Donald Trump is not that person, and I look forward to a robust field of Republican candidates to consider during the 2024 election," Chippendale said.
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Former Rep. Joe Trillo − who chaired Trump's 2016 campaign in Rhode Island − echoed that response when asked about Trump's 2024 bid by WPRI: "I think it’s a bad idea.”
“I think he’s going to lose,” Trillo said. “There are too many people out there who can’t accept his childish behavior.”
Trump's 2020 Rhode Island Chairman Jerry Zarrella is also opposed to the comeback bid and is so put off by the state of politics right now he said he intends to drop his GOP affiliation and become a disaffiliated voter next week, open to "somebody who can govern from the middle," Republican or Democrat.
Another former Trump co-chair in Rhode Island − Doreen Costa − said she would support Trump or whoever else emerges as the GOP nominee but "what we need to see is the party unified. I am not sure he can do that right now.
"When he was president I loved the lower gas prices, his love for the military and his love for the country. He did so much good but they constantly crucified him. Every single claim they made about him didn’t stick ... [and] I have never in my life seen a president take so much criticism.
"The question is are we better off now than we were 2 years ago. Absolutely not. The price of gas is skyrocketing again, the prices for groceries are ridiculous. Maybe the other side should see how unfit our sitting president now is.''
State Republican Chairwoman Sue Cienki, anticipating other candidates would jump into the race, said: "The RIGOP has to remain neutral before a primary ... Rhode Island Republicans will have the opportunity to nominate the best candidate to take on President Joe Biden’s extreme agenda in 2024."
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It was not immediately clear how many congressmen and women had committed to co-signing the legislation proposed by Cicilline, a member of the House Judiciary Committee that investigated then-President Trump during House Democrats’ first impeachment effort in 2019, and an impeachment manager in Trump’s second trial.
In his letter, Cicilline, a former criminal defense lawyer in Rhode Island, wrote:
"Donald Trump engaged in insurrection when he helped to plan and encouraged the insurgence on January 6th despite knowing that the election results were lawful; attempted to intimidate state and federal officials when they did not support his false claims and unlawful plans; tried to manipulate Mike Pence into unlawfully refusing to certify the election results despite Mr. Pence’s and legal advisors’ assertion that he held no such authority; and supported the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, refusing for hours to denounce or act against the mob and putting thousands of lives in danger."
The Rhode Island GOP's Frias said of Cicilline's proposed legislation: "I wish politicians on both sides of the aisle would stop acting like they live in some kind of banana republic."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Donald Trump 2024 presidential run opposed by RI congressman
