Florida Democrats demand Trump’s removal; Gaetz blames Antifa for Capitol riot
(The Center Square) — At least four Florida congressional Democrats are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment and one will seek censure for “GOPers who poured gas-soaked lies on our democracy” after Wednesday’s Capitol chaos.
By midday Thursday, three of Florida’s 11 congressional Democrats had joined former Republican governor and now-Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg in calling for Congress “to remove the President” immediately.
“The 25th Amendment, [Vice President Mike] Pence. The 25th Amendment,” Democrat U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch of Delray Beach tweeted Wednesday evening.
Democrat U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings of Broward and Val Demings of Orlando have issued similar calls referencing the 25th Amendment.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Weston who filed a House resolution Tuesday calling for the censure of U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, for inciting violence, said her resolution could be expanded to censure other lawmakers “fanning the flames, encouraging the violent overthrow of the government.”
“This is the violence and chaos you asked for [Gohmert]. You, [Trump] and the other GOPers who poured gas-soaked lies on our democracy have put lives at risk,” Wasserman Schultz tweeted.
While uniformly condemning Wednesday’s violence, 12 of Florida’s 16 Republican U.S. House representatives voted “no” on certifying electors for Arizona and Pennsylvania during floor debates that ended early Thursday morning.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott objected to Pennsylvania’s electors but not any other state. Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio denounced Wednesday’s violence.
“The thugs who stormed the Capitol today and incited violence should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Scott tweeted Wednesday. “Every single one of them.”
Objecting to electors in the House were Florida Reps. Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Matt Gaetz, Carlos Giminez, Brian Mast, Bill Posey, John Rutherford, Greg Steube and Dan Webster.
Two Florida GOP representatives – Michael Waltz of St. Augustine and Vern Buchanan of Sarasota – withdrew objections after Wednesday’s violence.
“Objecting was supposed to serve as a forum to peacefully debate among my colleagues and raise these serious issues that deserve scrutiny,” Waltz said. “However, with today’s despicable display of violence and intimidation on Capitol Hill we must move on to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and certify the presidential election.”
During the early morning House debate on Pennsylvania’s electors, Fort Walton Beach’s Gaetz launched a last-ditch pitch to upend the 2020 presidential election because of Wednesday’s violence, which he said was fostered by Antifa agitators “masquerading as Trump supporters.”
“I don’t know if the reports are true, but the Washington Times has just reported some pretty compelling evidence from a facial-recognition company showing that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters,” Gaetz said on the floor of the House. “They were masquerading as Trump supporters. And, in fact, they were members of the violent terrorist group Antifa.”
The thousands of other peaceful Trump supporters who gathered Wednesday were expressing a just anger about the election and Democrats’ rhetoric, Gaetz said.
“We came here today to debate, to follow regular order to, to offer an objection, to follow a process expressly contemplated in our Constitution. And for doing that, we’ve been called a bunch of seditious traitors. When those things are said, people get angry,” he said. “We should come to build America up. Not tear her down and destroy her, and I sure am glad that at least for one day, I didn’t hear my Democrat colleagues calling to defund the police.”
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