New Delhi
Democratic lawmakers in a handful of states are seeking to bar insurrectionists from holding office, two years after the violent attacks on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. A report by the news agency Associated Press on Sunday (January 22) said that the lawmakers are trying to send a message that those who engage in an attempted overthrow of the government should not be allowed to run it. Some of these states include New York, Connecticut and Virginia where the proposed legislation would prohibit people convicted of participating in an insurrection from holding public office or a position of public trust.
Nearly, 1,000 people had been charged in the riot with federal crimes, with about half of them pleading guilty to riot-related charges and more than three dozen convicted at trial.
In New York, state senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said those who will try to take the government down through violent means, in no way should be part of it. Sigal was sponsoring a bill that would bar people convicted of engaging in an insurrection or rebellion (against the US government) from holding civil office. He added that he would introduce the bill this year as he saw people who were involved in the Capital riot running for office last year, the report said.
In Virginia, a lawmaker introduced a bill in earlier in January that would prohibit anyone convicted of a felony related to an attempted insurrection or riot from serving in positions of public trust, including in policymaking, law enforcement, safety, education or health.
And in Connecticut, senate majority leader Bob Duff introduced a bill that would prohibit people convicted of sedition, rebellion, insurrection or a felony related to one of those acts from running for or holding public office. Speaking to the Associated Press, Duff said he wanted the bill to bar such people from holding state or municipal jobs.
The bill in these three states comes a month after the House's January 6 committee's final report, which asserted that former United States President Donald Trump was criminally engaged in a âmulti-part conspiracyâ to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election and also failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, wrote in the report that Trump âlit that fire.â
Meanwhile, Republican leaders have said the bill to bar insurrectionists from holding office was unnecessary. Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay called the legislation a political statement and said "(the bill is) more political than it is a concern about public policy." Barclay added the existing rules already applied to people in certain positions who were convicted of crimes and these rules should be sufficient, the report added.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.