As you know, the 14th amendment of the Constitution prohibits elected officials who have supported an insurrection, or even merely provided comfort to insurrectionists, not only from running for office, but prohibits them from holding office.
I quote the relevant passage in full:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Many of the people in this very room supported president Trump’s insurrection of January 6, and this was seen directly by millions of people who are watching this hearing at this very moment. Many Republican officials (and all were Republicans) spoke out publicly in support of the insurrection. Donald Trump himself publicly thanked the insurrectionists.
They and we all know that many of the people who will be voting on your confirmation are — by the words of the Constitution itself — illegally holding office. Yet their votes — which they are not entitled to cast — may defeat your confirmation to the the Supreme Court.
If you manage to be confirmed, will you speak out for the Constitution and the 14th amendment and move to invalidate any decision made by legislators who are holding office illegally? And will you, as well, make it clear that any legislator or public official who has sworn to uphold the Constitution defies that oath each time he or she recognizes the illegitimate “authority” of any insurrection-comforting official?
