WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: Senate Ethics Committee Must Consider January 6 Actions | Editorial

The House recently moved with appropriate swiftness to censor Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, for promoting a fantasy cartoon in which his character kills another congressman.

January 6 was not a fantasy; it was real, and the guilt of these two senators must be determined.

Hawley and Cruz were the only two senators to oppose the certification of Joe Biden’s clear victory in the 2020 election results, citing (without any evidence) alleged concerns about the integrity of the election. It was the same toxic, baseless nonsense President Donald Trump had spat out since before the election. Such a speech prompted crowds of Trump worshipers to attack the Capitol on January 6.

Hawley was the first senator to oppose certification, which is the only reason there had to be a tiered vote on the issue. This vote was the rallying point of the crowd. Without it, the attack might not even have happened.

More than a dozen Republican senators initially said they would join Hawley in voting against certification. But after the mob attack, most of them realized the damage the charade had done to the country and backed down, voting to certify an election in which – again – there was no valid indication. significant irregularities. But not Hawley. Even after the violence, he persisted in voting with just five other senators to continue promoting Trump’s big lie that Biden’s victory was illegitimate.

Hawley even had the nerve to deliver a Senate speech later that night condemning the violence – an arsonist standing among the ashes. I

Hawley and Cruz have the right to defend themselves against the allegations – but so far they haven’t even had to. The ethics committee should stop sitting on this.