Huffman talks impeachment with constituents
North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-san Rafael) condemned last Wednesday’s violent riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. and fielded questions from his constituents in a virtual town hall on Tuesday evening. Huffman addressed concerns surrounding threats of violence leading up to inauguration day, impeachment proceedings, increased regulation of social media and moving forward.
During the Facebook live-streamed town hall, Huffman said he received an outpouring of concern from his constituents regarding last week’s riot and wanted to address their concerns directly.
“It is something that I never imagined I would be experiencing as a member of Congress, but really we’ve all been attacked and violated,” Huffman said. “All of us are Americans. Our Capitol is a citadel of democracy. When that disgraceful mob stormed the Capitol and literally took it over for a few hours where no help was coming and they had control of the place, that’s just a wake-up call for all of us. It speaks to the level of violence and insurrection that we all saw with our own eyes and ears.”
Responding to the threat of armed protests at all 50 state capitols and in Washington, D.C., leading up to the inauguration, Huffman called on his constituents to remain vigilant and to be extra cautious in the days ahead.
“Keep (your) situational awareness, especially if you’re around a state capitol or even a local seat of government or a federal building. I’m sorry I don’t mean to be alarmist, but I think we need to understand these threats are real and could very well be heightened in the days ahead,” he said.
Huffman only spoke for five minutes before taking questions from constituents. Responding to a question about returning to work with elected members who contributed to the attempted takeover, Huffman said members of Congress plan to pursue investigations and have considered legislation.
“I think there’s no doubt that the House Administration Committee or the Ethics Committee probably has the tools to determine which members of Congress were the most involved, whether any of them cross that line and to actively aiding and abetting an insurrection,” Huffman said. “I happen to believe that at least one and probably several did and that if that finding is made the House or the Senate as it may be, (I) would vote on whether to expel them.”
Although they do not align politically, Huffman expressed his gratitude to House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-illinois) for standing up and “drawing that line for our country instead of just continuing to follow Donald Trump further and further into such a terrible place.”
However, Huffman also said he has lost respect for other colleagues, such as Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks.
“Some of the (elected officials) who were involved in contesting the electors, as extreme as their politics, are I’ve had friendly relationships with. Mo Brooks — who’s way out there — I’ve played ping pong with the guy and we have been friendly in the elevator and that goes back for the last eight years. I can’t do that anymore. I believe he did something really despicable and unforgivable for our country,” he said.
Another constituent asked why impeachment of the president is necessary, especially with only a week left in office.
“For the first time in history, a president of the United States actively incited an armed deadly insurrection against our democracy and against the Congress. To let that stand, to somehow just look the other way, is not an option,” Huffman said. “Why do you do it? Because he’s still President, he’s still got the nuclear codes, and while it may just be for another eight days there are all sorts of harm that he can cause to our national security, to our democracy, to all of our well being if we don’t get this man out of office.”
Huffman also responded to a question regarding the treatment of rioters versus Black Lives Matter demonstrators last summer. “Do only politician’s lives matter? I asked this because you guys did nothing when there were riots over the summer,” the constituent asked.
Huffman began by condemning Antifa and calling the group “the flip side of this violent murderous mob that we saw at the Capitol last Wednesday” but noted he may have misunderstood the question and noted the “huge different between Black Lives Matter and Antifa.”
“It’s grossly unfair to equate Black Lives Matter and that movement to anything that we saw last week at the Capitol. It is fair to compare the police response because it highlights a real double standard that should be very troubling to all of us,” he said. “I think we should dig into that double standard, what it says about systemic racism and we should hold people accountable.”
Another constituent addressed censorship, asking how democracy can thrive if there are no controls on fake news and whether or not Huffman supports increased regulation of social media.
“Well, obviously social media had a huge role in the rise of this movement and the dark path that it took. Even Facebook and Twitter have recognized that they have some responsibility here. So, that’s a first,” Huffman said. “In addition to the wonderful aspects of social media, it has the power to do terrible harm. We will have to regulate these platforms. I don’t think we’ve figured out how we’re going to do that quite yet.”
The last question Huffman took asked how to mend broken bridges and move forward. The constituent noted that impeachment proceedings “do just the opposite, those actions will further divide citizens.”
“This is a single article of impeachment for inciting insurrection. It has been crafted in consultation with our Republican colleagues, it is not coming from the far left,” Huffman said. “Please, don’t characterize this as something that’s just an expression of the far left or anything like that. It is much more serious and credible and nonpartisan than any of that, but we do need to move forward…and we can do that in a manner that is dignified, civil and respectful.”
“It is something that I never imagined I would be experiencing as a member of Congress, but really we’ve all been attacked and violated. All of us are Americans. Our Capitol is a citadel of democracy. When that disgraceful mob stormed the Capitol and literally took it over for a few hours ... that’s just a wake-up call for all of us.”
— North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman