In a recent gathering at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington DC, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland expressed his belief that the onus falls on Congress to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the 2024 election.
This assertion was made prior to the Supreme Court's ruling that states lack the authority to remove Trump from the ballot using the 14th Amendment.
According to The Post Millennial, Raskin's comments were made during a group meeting in February. He suggested that if the Supreme Court were to dismiss the case against Trump, the responsibility of disqualifying him from the election would then fall on Congress. Raskin was quoted as saying, "The court is not going to save us. And so that means the only thing that really works is people in motion amending the Constitution but again, its necessary, but its not sufficient, because what can be put in the Constitution can slip away from you very quickly."
Raskin further elaborated on his point by referring to Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which he believes is being disregarded. He stated, "And the greatest example going on right now before our very eyes is Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which theyre just disappearing with a magic wand, as if it doesnt exist, even though it could not be clearer what its stating. And so they want to kick it to Congress, so its going to be up to us on January 6, 2025, to tell the rampaging Trump mobs that hes disqualified."
The Maryland congressman also expressed his concern about the potential fallout from such a decision, including the need for increased security and the risk of "civil war conditions." He criticized the Supreme Court justices for their reluctance to interpret the 14th Amendment, saying, "And then we need bodyguards for everybody, and civil war conditions, all because the nine justices not all of them, but these justices who have not many cases to look at every year, not that much work to do, a huge staff, great protection simply do not want to do their job and interpret what the great Fourteenth Amendment means."
The 14th Amendment, particularly Section 3, was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former Confederate officials from holding public office in the Union. It stipulates that anyone who has taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, but has subsequently engaged in insurrection or rebellion against it, or given aid or comfort to its enemies, is disqualified from holding any office, civil or military, under the United States. However, this disability can be removed by a two-thirds vote of each House of Congress.
Raskin's comments highlight the ongoing political tension surrounding the potential candidacy of Donald Trump in the 2024 election. They also underscore the complex interplay between the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and Congress in determining the eligibility of a presidential candidate.
Login