Democrat sets aside grief to impeach
Raskin draws praise from all sides
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin’s 25-year-old son, Tommy, died by suicide New Year’s Eve and was buried the following Tuesday. A day later, a violent mob launched a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that forced Raskin and his colleagues to evacuate.
Now, the Maryland Democrat and former constitutional law professor is leading the effort to remove President Donald Trump from office for inciting the riot.
He authored a resolution approved on Tuesday by the House that calls on Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Trump unable to complete his term, which expires next week. Pence isn’t expected to do that, which will likely lead the chamber to quickly move to articles of impeachment, which Raskin also helped draft.
“That is the groundwork for fascism, when you add racism, antiSemitism, conspiracy theory and magical thinking. That is an absolute powder keg in terms of an assault on democracy,” Raskin said of the riot, “so we have to be very tough, and very strong right now in defending the Constitution and democracy.”
With the collision of his personal tragedy and a national trauma, Raskin is emerging as a unique figure in a polarized Congress. He drew extended applause from his colleagues on the House floor last week just before the insurrection began.
And even as many Republicans fought the Democratic effort to remove Trump on Tuesday, Raskin was praised by the GOP for continuing his work.
“I wanted to tell Mr. Raskin how much we grieve with him for his loss and how much we admire him for continuing to perform his duties under unimaginably difficult circumstances,” Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole said.
In the midst of grief, Raskin is bringing a certain clarity in outlining societal ills that led to the riot.
“The president didn’t want to let go, and the fruit of his obsession with his big lie that he had actually won the election was this nightmarish assault on Congress,” Raskin said. “The president has become a clear and present danger to the Republic.”