Neguse named impeachment manager as Boebert faces mounting criticism for riot

Lafayette Democrat Joe Neguse, whose Second Congressional District stretches from the Front Range up into the northern Colorado Rockies to include Vail and the eastern third of Eagle County, will be a House impeachment manager in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump.

Trump faces impeachment in the House for “inciting violence against the government of the United States” when he told thousands of his followers on Jan. 6 to head to the Capitol to “fight” for his lame-duck presidency, falsely claiming Democrats stole the Nov. 3 election from him.

Five people died during the normally routine congressional counting of the already certified Electoral College vote that favored President-elect Joe Biden by a margin of 306 to 232. Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million, and Trump lost more than 50 court cases challenging the election.

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday refused to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, so House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to move forward with Trump’s second impeachment on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he supports Trump’s impeachment, according to the New York Times, and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming — the third ranking Republican in the House — said she will vote to impeach, writing, “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a newly elected Republican who has been blasted for supporting Trump’s dangerous and clearly false election rhetoric, continues to defend her role in stoking the mob that attacked the Capitol. There are growing calls for the Third Congressional District (which includes most of Eagle County) representative to either resign or face censure or removal. On Tuesday she got into a confrontation with Capitol Police after refusing to have her bag checked when it triggered new metal detectors.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a military combat veteran from Colorado’s Front Range who has been praised for his actions on Jan. 6, sharply criticized Boebert on 9News Tuesday.

Here’s the Neguse press release on being named an impeachment manager:

Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman Joe Neguse issued the following statement on his appointment as an impeachment manager in the Senate impeachment trial: 

“Six days ago, I stood on the House floor to defend our Constitution, our republic and the will of the American people, by certifying the results of the 2020 election. Moments after I rose to address the chamber and oppose baseless objections to our certification process, the U.S. Capitol was breached, as armed insurrectionists stormed the building. Wednesday’s attack left multiple dead, injured countless police officers and left tremendous damage. This was an attack on our American government, on our democracy and a very present threat to the peaceful transfer of power. 

It is profoundly clear this violent attack would not have happened without President Trump’s incitement. For weeks, he has perpetuated harmful misinformation about the integrity of election results, he summoned these insurrectionists to the Capitol grounds, he addressed them and directed them to march on the Capitol.

The President has betrayed his oath of office, and he is no longer fit to serve. His removal is of the highest urgency. Impeachment is a solemn duty, and one I don’t take lightly. Yet, at our present moment, it is our only option. 

When the House votes to impeach President Trump for inciting insurrection on our nation’s capital, I will vote yes. And it will be my humble honor to serve as an impeachment manager for the Senate trial and finish the work I began the morning of January 6th to defend our constitution.”

Here’s Boebert’s statement from Monday:

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03) released the following statement: 

“We should take Democrats at their word when they say never let a crisis go to waste. Their hypocrisy is on full display with talks of impeachment, censure, and other ways to punish Republicans for false accusations of inciting the type of violence they have so frequently and transparently supported in the past,” said Congresswomen Lauren Boebert. “And, once again, their false attacks go unchallenged. They accuse me of live-tweeting the Speaker’s presence after she had been safely removed from the Capitol, as if I was revealing some big secret, when in fact this removal was also being broadcast on TV. They act as if Republicans created objections to the Electoral College certification out of thin air, when it was Democrats who objected in 2001, 2005 and 2017. They act as though a reference to the founding of our country and the bravery of upholding our Constitutional oath is criminal, which says a whole lot more about them than it does about me or any other Republican. The reality is that Joe Biden didn’t condemn Antifa when he had a chance to, Kamala Harris spent much of the summer helping those arrested for violent behavior post bail and get back on the streets as quickly as possible, and Speaker Pelosi encouraged uprisings all over the country. I denounced the violence over the summer just as I did the recent events at the Capitol. I defended our Constitution and I always will. America will persevere because freedom always prevails. But let’s get real—the far-left and their policies are causing harm to our country. I refuse to let their political machine write a narrative that millions of Americans know is false.”