A major Missouri newspaper has asked Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) to hold former President Donald Trump accountable in his second impeachment trial or resign.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published an editorial on Monday urging Hawley and his Republican colleagues to “impose law and order on Trump” and cited the deadly Capitol riot on January 6.
Hawley was one of the most prominent Republicans to oppose President Biden’s electoral victory in 2020. He supported formal objections to the votes of the Arizona and Pennsylvania Electoral College.
The editorial said Trump’s impeachment trial focused on a single question: “Did Donald Trump fulfill his oath of office between the November 3 presidential election and the Capitol insurrection on January 6?”
“The two Republican senators from Missouri, Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, seem confused on this point, deflecting the argument that Trump’s impeachment after he left office violates the constitution rather than focusing on much more blatant constitutional violations than world knows what Trump did. ” said the newspaper.
The editorial pointed out that Hawley, Blunt and 43 other Republican senators tried to prevent the trial. Only five Republicans in the Senate voted against a motion claiming that the impeachment was unconstitutional.
“But there is still time for them to change gears and carry out their oath to weigh Trump’s guilt or innocence impartially,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch said.
“There is no way to credibly argue that Trump protected and defended the Constitution when video evidence shows him directing a crowd to invade the Capitol and interrupt the constitutionally ordered procedures to certify the Electoral College outcome.”
The newspaper cited Trump’s comments at the January 6 “Save America” rally, which immediately preceded the Capitol riot. During his speech to the crowd, Trump again contested Biden’s victory and said “if you don’t fight like the devil, you won’t have a country anymore”.
“The rebels were obviously dangerous and violent. Some came dressed in tactical clothes, carrying zippered handcuffs. Five people died in chaos while Capitol police struggled to contain the protesters,” the editorial said.
Pointing to longstanding Republican claims to be the party of law and order, the newspaper said that “the only responsibility left to Hawley and his colleagues is to enforce the law and bring Trump to justice.”
“Because any elected official who has responsibility for the application of the law and does not comply with it needs to resign,” concluded the editorial.
Trump’s second unprecedented impeachment trial will begin on February 8, with the Senate now tightly controlled by Democrats. However, Republicans are unlikely to vote to condemn the former president.
Senator Josh Hawley was asked to comment on this article.
congress.gov via Getty Images