Originally Posted by
Vegas82
For her to be unable to run for office again wouldn’t Congress have to impeach, convict, and bar her?
Nope!
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2383
18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
Important bits in bold. That's just normal crime; the DOJ can prosecute any sitting member of Congress just fine for these crimes; only the President has any kind of immunity from prosecution while in office. This is one of the only crimes that has that tagline. Also, note that the wording states that the barring from office is a mandatory sentencing clause, not one up for judicial discretion like the fine or prison sentence.
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Originally Posted by
uuuhname
yes, but there were elements within the insurrection that had every intention of murdering members of congress to install a dictator. from the zip-tie guys all the way to members of congress and the senate. thankfully for us all they didn't succeed, but that right there presents the problem of it happening again.
I guess my tolerance for these right wingers and their behavior is at the end of it's rope. I want these people expunged from our society, one way or the other.
I'm not suggesting that the insurrection was a small thing. It wasn't, and anyone part of the crowd that broke into the Capitol should be facing five years or more in prison, just for their participation, with higher sentences for those who did more than just follow along.
I'm speaking to the likes of politicians whose only participation was Tweeting support or assistance. Lauren Boebert should be dead simple to convict, as she was literally tweeting the location of the Speaker as people were breaking in to try and kill her. But Marjorie Taylor Greene, for instance, Tweeted that the rioters were Democrats; that's an attempt to deflect blame from the actual criminals, and that qualifies as "aid and comfort". So she should be convicted too.
I just feel that 5+ years in prison over a tweet is perhaps a bit much. Removing them from office and barring them from national politics forever is fine, in that case. Particularly since that's a standard that can be applied to, like, a massive chunk of Republican representation. A lot.