R 27-5 Censuring Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers Sponsor(s): Senator Davidson Co-Sponsor(s): Avery Perreault CW: violence and vulgar language WHEREAS, leading up to the insurrection which took place at the United States Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Donald J. Trump made statements, on numerous occasions over a series of months, baselessly insisting that the 2020 Presidential Election had been “stolen” from him; and [a] [b] WHEREAS, throughout the aforementioned time, Donald J. Trump urged people to “fight” in an attempt to change the results of the free and fair 2020 Presidential Election; and [a] [b] WHEREAS, on December 12, 2020, Donald J. Trump tweeted, “WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT!!!”; and [a] [c] WHEREAS, on December 18, 2020, Donald J. Trump tweeted, “.@senatemajldr and Republican Senators have to get tougher, or you won’t have a Republican Party anymore. We won the Presidential Election, by a lot. FIGHT FOR IT. Don’t let them take it away!”; and [a] [d] WHEREAS, on December 26, 2020, Donald J. Trump tweeted, “The ‘Justice’ Department& the FBI have done nothing about the 2020 Presidential Election Voter Fraud, the biggest SCAM in our nation’s history despite overwhelming evidence. They should be ashamed. History will remember. Never give up. See everyone in DC on January 6th”; and [a] [e] WHEREAS, on January 5, 2021, Donald J. Trump falsely led the American people to believe that Vice President Pence could overturn the electoral college results, by tweeting, “The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.”; and [a] [f] WHEREAS, on January 5, 2021, Donald J. Trump threatened the Vice President of the United States during a rally in Georgia by stating, “I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you. I hope that our great Vice President, our great Vice President, comes through for us. He’s a great guy. Of course if he doesn’t come through I won’t like him quite as much.”; and [g] [h] [i] WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, Donald J. Trump continued to instruct his supporters to fight to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election during his “Save America March” by stating, “fight like hell… we’re going to have to fight much harder.”; and [j] [k] [l] WHEREAS, many people who attended the “Save America March” rally attended to with the intention to physically fight after hundreds of videos were posted on TikTok promoting violence with hashtags promoting a second civil war and the “Save America March”; and [m] [n] [o] WHEREAS, one TikTok user stated in their video, “Take your motherfucking guns. That’s the whole point of going.”; and [m] [n] [o] WHEREAS, one TikTok user stated in their video, “Travel in packs and do not let them disarm someone without stacking bodies.”; and [n] [o] WHEREAS, rather than attempting to dissuade any violent threats, on January 6, 2021 at his “Save America March”, Donald J. Trump further pushed the baseless claims that the 2020 Presidential Election had been fraudulent by saying, “When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules.”; and [j] [k] [l] WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, Donald J. Trump continued to state, “You’ll never take our country back with weakness.”; and [j] [k] [l] WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, after insurrectionists had breached the Capitol Building, Donald J. Trump failed to provide back up to Capitol Police Officers, ultimately leading House Leadership to call neighboring state governors requesting National Guard reinforcements; and [p] [q] [r] WHEREAS, during the aforementioned insurrection, Donald J. Trump failed to accept National Guard reinforcements, leading Vice President Mike Pence to authorize the troops; and [p] [q] [r] WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, after Vice President Pence had been taken by the Secret Service and insurrectionists, who had breached the Capitol Building and were chanting “Hang Mike Pence”, Donald J. Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”; and [a] [s] WHEREAS, following the insurrection at the US Capitol, Donald J. Trump released a video in which he continued to falsely claim “we had an election that was stolen from us.” and WHEREAS, in the same video, Donald J. Trump told the insurrectionists, “I love you… you are special.”; and [a] [u] [v] WHEREAS, following the insurrection at the United States Capitol, three insurrectionists died, one Capitol Police Officer was killed in action, and one Capitol Police Officer died in the aftermath; and [w] WHEREAS, Donald J. Trump took an oath to “the best of [his] ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”; and WHEREAS, the primary job of the Commander in Chief is to protect the American people; and WHEREAS, following the insurrection, the United States House of Representatives introduced an Article of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump; and [x] WHEREAS, all US Representatives, including Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, swear an oath to, “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”; therefore [ak] WHEREAS, Washington State Republican Representative Herrera Butler and Washington State Republican Representative Newhouse both voted to impeach Donald J. Trump; and [x] WHEREAS, on January 12, 2021, Representative Herrera Butler made the following statement outlining her support to impeach Donald J. Trump, “The President of the United States incited a riot aiming to halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. That riot led to five deaths… These terrorists roamed the Capitol, hunting the Vice President and the Speaker of the House… The President’s offenses… were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have.”; and [y] [z] WHEREAS, on January 13, 2021, Representative Newhouse made the following statement outlining his support to impeach Donald J. Trump, “A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction. He did not… call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”; and [aa] WHEREAS McMorris stated on why she voted no, she stated on record “For Trump supporters like me, it meant turning a blind eye to arrogant, prideful, and bullying behavior.” [citation]; and WHEREAS, as of Winter Quarter of 2021, the University of Washington had 28,387 Washington State residents enrolled as students. WHEREAS McMorris is an alumni of the University of Washington; and WHEREAS, Margie Heller, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 9, 2021, “Trump and the Republican congresspeople who support him have taken our government to a dangerous low. To contest votes that have been counted, recounted, and certified by state governments is no less than an act of treason against our democracy.”; and [ab] WHEREAS, Kevin Quaid, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 9, 2021, “It is therefore with great disgust I read Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers’ self-serving, posterior-covering statement. Encourages Trump to put an end to this madness, does she? Too little, too late. She acts like she’s doing us a favor instead of being complicit in the sedition… She’s given credence to these lies, thereby inciting these domestic terrorists & traitors.”; and [ac] WHEREAS, Joe Rodriguez Jr., a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 9, 2021, “Why not invoke the 25th Amendment? As surreal as this sounds, this would be a fitting culmination to the insanity of the Trump administration.”; and [ad] WHEREAS, Barry Cross, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 9, 2021, “Note to Cathy [McMorris Rodgers]. I just heard your “backpedal” apology on CNN regarding your participation in the coup caucus to overturn the votes of millions of people in this country during the recent elections. The resulting riots and vandalism of the United States capital are pretty much understandable given the directions, encouragement and speeches of your political master. Essentially you drove the getaway car, you are an accessory to the fact and there is no going back - no apology suffices and no mulligans allowed - you are complicit in those actions.”; and [ae] WHEREAS, Mark C. Johnson, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 9, 2021, “Cathy McMorris Rodgers reversing her intent to now vote to certify Electoral College results, after the riot on the capitol in DC: TOO LATE Cathy!... You are an embarrassment to the people of the 5th District who elected you.”; and [af] WHEREAS, Sid Wurzburg, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 12, 2021, “Goodbye, Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Too little: Too late!”; and [ag] WHEREAS, Anne Stuart Oswald, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on January 12, 2021, “Eighteen years of Cathy McMorris Rodgers is at least 14 years too many. It is clearly time for a change.”; and [ah] WHEREAS, Karen Dorn Steele, a constituent of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, states in a Letter to the Editor of the Spokesman-Review on JAnuary 13, 2021, “It’s time to recall [Cathy McMorris Rodgers]..