Target: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Goal: Applaud impeachment of President Trump for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol.
January 6 marked the date of a deadly act of domestic terrorism at the United States Capitol. In the wake of this event that left five people (including a police officer) dead, widespread and bipartisan calls for justice began. This ForceChange petition spoke for the many individuals who hold the President of the United States responsible for inciting this violence. The men and women who bore witness to the insurrection firsthand have now answered these calls by impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time.
The House of Representatives, with the support of several Republican representatives, voted to impeach the president for “incitement of insurrection.” This impeachment comes after the president gave a fiery speech the morning of the insurrection urging followers to go to the Capitol and telling them: “you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong…We will never give up. We will never concede…Our country has had enough. We’re not going to take it anymore.” In the midst of the later chaos, President Trump did not act to stop it. Rather, he allegedly was gleeful as he watched the unfolding events and could not understand why his aides did not share in his excitement.
The images that came out in the following days show law enforcement being attacked and almost crushed by the mob. At one point, only a beaten-in door stood between rioters and the elected leaders fleeing the chamber. Tellingly, many were seemingly heard saying “the president told us to come here” and many even still awaited direction from him after breaching the building. Some of the rioters were reportedly armed with nooses, bombs, and other weaponry. The police officer who died was apparently pummeled with a fire extinguisher, causing ultimately lethal injuries.
Condemnation was swift. Senior Republican Representative Liz Cheney characterized the action of the president as follows: “the president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack. The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States.” A majority of Americans seem to agree. Several recent polls found between 50 and 60 percent of Americans support the president’s impeachment and removal from office, with even more condemning his role in the Capitol insurrection.
Even with only a few days remaining in the president’s term, impeachment is consequential. It not only holds him accountable for this heinous act, but if convicted he would also be barred from ever holding office again. Sign the petition below to support this indictment of a president’s unethical and potentially criminal behavior.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Pelosi,
The assault on the Capitol was an assault on democracy. Letting this outrage go without consequences for the leaders who helped stoke it would be akin to affirming that those in power are indeed above the law. Such inaction would set a horrible precedent for future political leaders.
Thank you for taking the less safe, more complicated, but ultimately right course of action for this country’s future. I support impeachment and immediate removal of any person, no matter how powerful, who actively acts against the oath to protect and defend America.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
