| R 001 |
| 2021 -- S 0008 Enacted 01/12/2021 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CONDEMNING THE ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND INSURRECTION COMMITTED AT THE SEAT OF OUR COUNTRY'S DEMOCRACY AND CALLING FOR THE REMOVAL OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP |
Introduced By: Senators Euer, Kallman, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Goodwin, Miller, Felag, Coyne, Burke, and Cano |
| Date Introduced: January 12, 2021 |
| WHEREAS, The peaceful transition of power is a hallmark of the United States as a |
| democratic republic – signaling the government’s responsibility to respect the will of the people |
| and providing legitimacy to our elections; uniting us as a people behind our country, our shared |
| ideals, and a constitutional form of government; and |
| WHEREAS , It is the belief of Americans that the leadership of our government should |
| be selected by the people through free and fair elections, not through violence or the whims of |
| authoritarians leaders; and |
| WHEREAS, Since losing the election on November 3, 2020, President Donald J. Trump |
| has continued to lie and mislead his supporters about the results of the election and has tried to |
| coerce election officials into changing election results and disenfranchising voters; and |
| WHEREAS, On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, President Trump held a rally in |
| Washington D.C. calling on his supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the U.S. Capitol |
| Building where the Joint Session of Congress was meeting to certify the electoral votes from all |
| 50 states and the District of Columbia in order to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory; and |
| WHEREAS, Incited by outright lies and misinformation, and driven by the |
| misconception that their actions could encumber the true and just democratic process, the deadly |
| mob assaulted police officers, scaled walls, and broke windows and doors as they forced their |
| way into the U.S. Capitol building; and |
| WHEREAS, Americans watched with disappointment, disbelief, and horror as hundreds |
| of insurrectionists stormed the building intent on wreaking havoc and stopping the progress |
| towards a peaceful transition of power. Insurgents brought with them zip-ties, raided key offices, |
| and stole important documents and electronics. A crowd of rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” |
| and a noose was erected outside the Capitol. Reports surfaced of guns, tear gas, assaults on |
| Capitol Police, and vandalism inside the historic building and revered rotunda; and |
| WHEREAS, Legislators were quickly evacuated from the House and Senate Chambers as |
| the mob wandered the hallways, defacing offices and public property, and resisting attempts by |
| Capitol Police to bring about peace and safety, resulting in the death of at least six people; and |
| WHEREAS, Showing the resilience of our country, the Joint Session of Congress |
| reconvened on the evening of January 6th to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory |
| and worked through the night until they completed the certification early the morning of January |
| 7th; and |
| WHEREAS, Even after the events of January 6th, President Trump has continued to |
| spread lies and misinformation to his supporters, threatening the security of the United States and |
| undermining the integrity of our most cherished institutions, and is an ongoing threat to our |
| country so long as he holds office; and |
| WHEREAS, The strength of America’s democracy is in our ability to come together |
| during times of strife and peril. The day of calculated destruction will not change our destiny or |
| our confidence that there are brighter days ahead. On January 20th, 2021, a new era of hope and |
| unity will begin to rebuild our country with the consensus and trust that our forefathers imagined |
| as they wrote the Constitution and laid the foundation for the greatest country in the world; now, |
| therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby vehemently condemns |
| the acts of violence and insurrection committed at the seat of our country's democracy and calls |
| for the removal of President Donald J. Trump through the exercise of the 25th Amendment or |
| Congressional impeachment; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rhode Island's Congressional Delegation. |
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