A Letter from the Democratic Central Committees of Maryland's First Congressional District

January 19, 2021

Delivered to: Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Dutch Ruppersburger, Rep. John Sarbanes, Rep. Anthony Brown, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. David Trone, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, and Rep. Jamie Raskin.

CC: Rep. Andy Harris, MD Dems Chair Yvette Lewis

Friends,
 
On January 6, 2021, an armed mob of domestic terrorists stormed the U.S. Capitol.  They were seeking to find and assassinate the Speaker of the House and the Vice President of the United States in an effort to stop the peaceful and democratic transition of power in our country. Public servants from across Maryland’s 1st Congressional District (MD-1) were among the many on Capitol Hill forced to shelter in place in fear as the mob made their way through the Capitol Building.
 
Fueled by hate and inspired by a dangerous President and his seditious followers, the radicalized wing of the Republican Party brought blood to the halls of Congress. Putting personal gain and sycophantic loyalty ahead of the country, leaders at the highest levels within the Republican Party called for violence, destruction and “trial by combat” during the attempt to overturn the certification of a legitimately elected President and Vice President.
 
For these reasons, we the undersigned Democratic central committees of MD-1, call on the Maryland Democratic congressional delegation to protect the integrity of our Democracy from those who seek to overturn it.  We petition you to explore options and lead the effort behind the censure, expulsion, or stripping of committee assignments of the elected officials in Congress that incited the attack on their own legislative body.
 
For his dissemination of misinformation concerning the 2020 Election, his dangerous enabling of an angry and armed mob, his verbal and alleged physical altercation – only describable as ‘conduct unbecoming of a Member of Congress’ – that took place in the early hours of January 7, 2021 on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, and his dereliction of duty on January 13 to practice medicine instead of perform his duties in Congress, we call on our leadership to pursue significant punitive action against Congressman Andrew P. Harris (MD-1). His actions have violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, cited below:
 
"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."
 
Further, we wholeheartedly endorse any legislative or constitutional vehicle necessary for the expedited removal of Donald J. Trump from the Office of President of the United States for the significant role he played as the leader of this attack on the Legislative and Executive Branches of the federal government of the United States. We commend Congressman Raskin’s leadership in this upcoming effort to present an article of impeachment to the Senate and similarly appreciate our entire Democratic congressional delegation’s leadership on this matter.
 
The country has spoken: Joe Biden is the duly elected President of the United States. Voters across the political spectrum elected a leader capable of uniting the nation after four long and divisive years. Yet how can there be unity if insurrection is permitted without consequences? It is not divisive to call for acts of insurrection to be properly investigated and for the agitators to be fully prosecuted. Our nation is a Republic – if we can keep it; there are no constitutional protections for insurrection.
 
Most importantly, thank you. Thank you for your service and your commitment to your State and your Country. As the halls of the Capitol Building were breached, you held the line; in the face of significant harm and even death, you returned to your stations late in the evening; with the nation on the brink, you voted to ensure the peaceful transition of power and certified the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Thank you for standing tall as the guardians of our democracy.
 
In Patriotic Solidarity and on Behalf of the Constituents of Maryland’s 1st Congressional District,
 
Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee
Caroline County Democratic Central Committee
Carroll County Democratic Central Committee
Dorchester County Democratic Central Committee
Harford County Democratic Central Committee
Kent County Democratic Central Committee
Queen Anne’s County Democratic Central Committee
Talbot County Democratic Central Committee
Wicomico County Democratic Central Committee
Worcester County Democratic Central Committee