Donald Trump must be impeached – for the second time. He and his allies, including members of Congress, must be held accountable for inciting white nationalists and extremist supporters to revolt and try to overthrow the duly elected 46th president, Joseph Biden.
As people of faith, we support this second impeachment of Donald Trump and holding his allies accountable. No one, not even the president and his allies, should be above the law.
Even as the Jan. 6 events continue to be investigated, and the consequences debated, the fact that President Donald Trump refused to accept his loss in the November 2020 presidential election and that he incited his followers to use force against Congress to prevent the certification of the election is seditious and treasonous. The U.S. Constitution is clear on this as basis for impeachment.
On Jan. 7, we called for Vice President Mike Pence to remove Donald Trump as president using the 25th Amendment. However, Pence has failed to do so, even when Trump’s supporters called for him to be hanged as he presided over the counting of the Electoral College votes in Congress.
As Quakers, we do not come to this conclusion easily; neither do we take joy in calling for Trump’s second impeachment. We supported Congress’s first effort to impeach Donald Trump. Our call for the second impeachment of Donald Trump stems from the same core belief:
“We hold our government institutions and officials to rigorous ethical standard of fairness, honesty, openness, and avoidance of even the appearance of conflicts of interest. We expect our government to abide by the U.S. Constitution, national and international law, and international treaties.”
Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress must be held accountable for fabricating and perpetuating the lies of a stolen election, and using their positions as elected officials to incite attack by a mob on the U.S. Capitol, members of Congress, and all who worked there as they stormed the building, causing mayhem and terror.
The baseless lies by Trump and his allies who have used violence to promote white Christian nationalism is a desecration of the Christian faith and of our democracy. As people of faith, we seek a society with equity and justice for all and where every person’s potential might be fulfilled. That can only happen when we respect the inherent dignity of every person. Racism, misogyny, and religious bigotry have no place in our society or our political life.
White supremacy cannot be ignored for the sake of unity or expediency.
White supremacy cannot be ignored for the sake of unity or expediency. To do so will only be to allow these underlying causes to fester and gnaw on the foundations of our society, our democracy. We cannot unify the country until the forces of racism and white supremacy that undergird Trump’s and his allies’ influence – and which they have summoned to attack Congress – are eliminated. If not, they will continue to tear at the fabric of our common good.
We yearn for a government and a country where civil discourse and civic engagement create the framework for addressing the injustices in our communities and our nation; where all people can act on the courage of their convictions for justice and equity, and we work to make this possible.
The mission of the Friends Committee on National Legislation is to influence federal policies to create a world free of war and the threat of war, a society with equity and justice, communities where every person’s potential may be realized, and an earth restored. Making progress towards these goals require all of us who live in this country, especially our leaders, to conduct ourselves responsibly and courageously in the service of the greater public good and our democracy.
As people of faith, we support this second impeachment of Donald Trump and holding his allies accountable. No one, not even the president and his allies, should be above the law.
