WASHINGTON — St. Louis representative Cori Bush is calling for the investigation and expulsion of any representatives who objected to election certification, saying their actions lead to the Capitol riots that cost five people their lives.
“I will say that this was not a resolution that I expected to be our number one, but it is very necessary that right now,” Bush said of the resolution, which is her first resolution since she was sworn in earlier this month.
Bush didn't speak on the House floor Monday, instead submitting House Resolution 25 into the hopper.
She soon after tweeted it would, "under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, investigate and expel the GOP members of Congress who attempted to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist attack."
“Our democracy cannot be attacked — especially from within — and we do nothing,” Bush said.
“This is certainly a power that the house and the senate have — that is well known — but it is by no means common. This is a really big deal,” Washington University School of Law professor Greg Magarian said.
Magarian said this is a smart move for Bush. It wins favor with her constituents but doesn't affect her favorability across the aisle.
“I don't think they [Republican representatives] are going to be working with Cori Bush a whole lot, whether she is ‘sunshine and unicorns’ with them or whether she is calling for their expulsion,” Magarian said.
While her resolution only applies to the House, it keeps the issue of accountability for Congress members who perpetuated election fraud lies alive. Some say that includes Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, seen before the riots giving pro-Trump crowds outside the Capitol a fist pump of support.
Wednesday, Hillary Clinton wrote in an opinion piece that "Members of Congress who joined [Trump] in subverting our democracy should resign," later mentioning Hawley by name.
Hallmark reportedly sent a notice to Hawley asking him to return their campaign contributions to their political action committee, HALLPAC.
“The blowback he's facing is really unusual. I mean, you have got mainstream Republicans saying that this guy committed sedition. That is not an ordinary walk in the park,” Magarian said.
5 On Your Side has reached out to Hawley's office to try to arrange a time to talk with him. We had not heard back by publication time.
Contact reporter Sara Machi on Facebook and Twitter.
