Graphic by Rachel Carp.
A month after the riots at the Capitol and lawmakers still feel unsafe. Recently elected Missouri Rep. Cori Bush announced she was moving her office over safety concerns. Those safety concerns being recently elected Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene who refused to wear a mask and accused Bush of inciting violence with Black Lives Matter.
What does it say about our democracy that lawmakers no longer feel safe around each other? Only a few weeks ago Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she feared her colleagues would reveal her secret location during the riots. The National Guard’s presence at the Capitol and the change of power haven’t settled the violent political divisions. Bush should never have felt the need to move her office. She was elected just as Greene was and has every right to be there. What example does it send that Congress allows such workplace harassment? Bush did nothing wrong but she paid for Greene’s actions.
I can only assume Greene’s disrespect to her colleagues is a continued assault on the Capitol that started January 6. Her support for the QAnon conspiracy directly relates to the rioters who vandalized and stole from it. As Bush had to evacuate, Greene faced little to no consequences. Republicans and Democrats shouldn’t have to fear losing voters if they reprimand her.
As a student, seeing such instability among lawmakers over something as basic as professional conduct is nowhere near comforting. Congress’s calls to “reach across the aisle” are hollow when something like this happens. How can we expect lawmakers to do their job if they don’t feel safe?
If Congress decides to take action against Greene, a censure will do next to nothing. Many have already been censured themselves and responded, more or less, with a shrug. Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey said his censure was “of very little consequence.”
If, instead, Congress musters the support to expel Greene, they would need a two third majority to succeed. The Constitution vaguely says, “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” Expulsion has happened in the some 233 years since the Constitution was written, but rarely. The majority of leaves from Congress haven’t directly come from expulsion but from the threat of it. It’s highly unlikely to suspect any of Greene’s constituents will want her out after voting her in about a month ago. She won her election partly on the belief the presidential election was a fraud.
Greene’s current actions don’t necessarily warrant an expulsion. She hasn’t outright committed any crimes of bribery or sedition, but she did support the assault on the Capitol. Couple this with the victim-mindset many have despite winning seats in government, her expulsion could trigger another wave of violence, and who will suffer from it most? People like Nancy Pelosi or Cori Bush?
You can find a list of all members expelled or threatened with expulsion here.
