Hispanic Federation Statement on Pro-Trump Assault on Democracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2020
Hispanic Federation President Frankie Miranda issued the following statement regarding yesterday’s disturbing attack at the U.S. Capitol and the efforts of President Trump and his supporters to subvert our democracy:
The events this week in our nation’s capital have been heartbreaking. The grotesque, violent scenes that we witnessed Wednesday — the roving bands of marauders laying siege to the People’s House, rejoicing in their open contempt of our democratic system — should remain seared into our collective conscience. The rioters held up a mirror to the nation of what a mob primed by the politics of white supremacy and conspiracy-mongering looks like. For the past four years, we have been sounding the alarm about the dangers that Donald J. Trump represents to our democracy and diverse nation. Rooted in the politics of hate and division, this White House has relentlessly embraced and fomented racist and undemocratic policies and actions – attacking facts and science – as its standard course of business, at all times, at any cost.
It is tempting, in the spirit of civic comity and peace, to let the current administration disappear from the national scene, like a nightmare to be forgotten. But that would be a mistake. The only way we can make sure that the President’s behavior is never repeated by a future White House occupant is to hold Trump accountable for his repeated deceptions and lies, and the insurrection he incited in the U.S. Capitol yesterday. That means Congress should move to impeach him or the Vice President should invoke the 25th amendment to have him removed from office immediately.
We also believe that it will be important to hold accountable the members of Congress who baselessly questioned the certified results of the elections in several states. They too had a hand in the violence. Without so much as a shred of evidence, they advanced dangerous arguments of fraud and were willing to invalidate the votes of millions of Americans. Let us be clear, these actions were not like the normal partisan differences that mark our democracy. Debating opposing policy ideas is a bedrock principle of our democracy; that’s not what happened Wednesday night. What we saw was a determined attempt to undermine the nation and the people’s faith in our elections. That is a stain that every one of those members of Congress should carry for the rest of their lives in public service.
Despite this week's horrors, we are hopeful for the future of the nation. In less than two weeks, the White House will welcome new occupants. We look forward to a President who embraces reason, rejects hatred, and has the experience to lead us. And thanks to the work of determined Americans, the U.S. Senate will be in the hands of a Democratic Majority that has laid out a promising agenda to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthen our health care system, jump-start our economy, and produce meaningful and fair immigration reform. We look forward to working alongside the new Congressional leadership to make sure that the trust that millions of Americans have placed on them is honored.
Contact:
Matthew Rojas
mrojas@hispanicfederation.org
