Any elected official who incites mob violence as part of a campaign to subvert our democracy is unfit to hold public office in the future.
This week’s impeachment trial is an opportunity for the public to hear the extent to which former President Trump used a campaign of disinformation to bully election officials and attempt to steal an election he had lost at the ballot box, leading up to the attempted insurrection by supporters carrying his flag on Jan. 6.
The outcome of this trial should be a lifetime ban on Trump holding federal office.
Trump’s disinformation campaign included lies to his supporters, but also blatant attempts to pressure state officials to break the law during the post-election period and an unprecedented demand of the vice president to circumvent the entire Electoral College once the vote had already been certified.
Lives were lost on Jan. 6 and confidence in our system of government was shaken. Now, 71% of Americans say that democracy in the U.S. is under threat.
We cannot begin to address this threat and rebuild trust unless we send a clear message that future presidents cannot incite an insurrection at the end of their term and get away with it. To prevent the most dangerous abuses of power in the future, we must first have accountability.