Every Republican — and some Democrats — in Congress should be voted out of office as soon as possible for dereliction of duty.
The United States of America would not be in the crisis we now face — at least not as severely — if members of the House of Representatives and Senate had a spine and upheld the Constitution they swore to protect.
Mark Wingfield
Donald Trump is getting away with murder and theft and perjury and all manner of criminal acts because the Congress that is supposed to hold him accountable keeps rolling over and playing dead. Blame evangelicals all you want; it’s much deserved. But it is Congress that could put a stop to this.
You cannot convince me that a majority of Republicans elected to Congress believe Trump’s actions are lawful. Oh, sure, there are the Tommy Tubervilles and the Mike Johsons. But beneath party loyalty, most Republicans in Congress must know they are propping up a cruel dictator because they fear his wrath and want to hold onto power.
“You cannot convince me that a majority of Republicans elected to Congress believe Trump’s actions are lawful.”
Yet another example of this happened today when Senate Republicans blocked an effort to stop Trump’s unlawful military action in Venezuela. Five Republicans joined Democrats last week in voting to bring the matter to the floor. But today two of them — Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana — backed down after Trump threatened them personally.
And let us be clear: The resolution Republicans voted down only says what the U.S. Constitution already says but Trump ignores. The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. And how could Trump’s claim that he’s now the acting leader of Venezuela be construed as anything but a declaration of war?
The same senators who today ignored the plain meaning of the Constitution — most of whom claim to be Constitutional “originalists” — swore an oath of office to “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, bear true faith and allegiance to it, and faithfully discharge their duties.”
Every senator and every representative who keeps looking the other way while Trump destroys the Constitution and our democracy must be held accountable for their dereliction of duty — over and over and over. Every unlawful thing Trump has done — from ending USAID to demolishing part of the White House to setting up ICE to murder Renee Good — could have been challenged and stopped by Congress. But that has not been the case.
And some Democrats bear blame in this shame as well. Remember that Marco Rubio’s confirmation as secretary of state was supported by all 47 Democratic senators and independent senators who caucus with Democrats. Look what Rubio has done with that support.
“Those who do not have the courage to speak against tyranny ought to be sent home in shame.”
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted to approve 11 of Trump’s cabinet nominees. Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona voted to approve 10 of Trump’s cabinet nominees, as did Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado.
Not to mention the vast number of Democrats in Congress who have said nothing and done nothing to publicly register their dissent from Trump’s agenda. Those who do not have the courage to speak against tyranny ought to be sent home in shame. We are a nation formed in opposition to tyranny.
Yes, there are some specific Republican leaders who bear greater blame for facilitating Trump’s evil — Mike Johnson and Mitch McConnell chief among them — but they are not alone. What we are witnessing is a mass abdication of constitutional safekeeping that must not go unpunished.
These elected leaders — most of whom claim to be Christians — need to listen to the words of Jesus: “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
These Trump enablers have lost their souls, to be sure. But they also should lose their seats in Congress.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. He is the author of Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves.