‘Trump Can’t Leave Soon Enough,' Rep. Suozzi Says

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) said he will support any action against President Donald Trump, including his removal from office or impeachment in order to make him accountable for Wednesday’s rioting in the Capitol.

“President Trump, who must leave office on Jan. 20, 2021, cannot leave soon enough. I will support any action against him that will hold him accountable for his irresponsible and reprehensible behavior,” stated Suozzi in a news release issued by his press office Thursday. “Whether it is the removal from office by his Cabinet utilizing the 25th Amendment, expedited impeachment, censure, or prosecution after he leaves office.”

Suozzi’s announcement comes on the heels of Trump continuing to insist the election was rigged, though there is no evidence and his refusal to concede to President-elect Joe Biden. Trump ignored warnings about violence and instead riled up his supporters in a speech prior to rioting in the Capitol, the Los Angeles Times reported. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump’s removal either by impeachment or through the use of the 25th Amendment, The Washington Post reported. Under the 25th Amendment, members of Trump’s own cabinet could oust him in favor of Vice President Mike Pence.

Suozzi, of Glen Cove, was inside the Capitol building Wednesday as rioters breached the chamber while Congress was poised to certify Biden’s election. One woman was shot and killed and another three people died in the melee. The two-term congressman can be seen in his own video footage shot on his cellphone hurriedly ushered away from the chaos and ordered to take shelter in between rows of chairs.

“We have been through a trauma,” Suozzi stated.

Echoing Biden’s words, the two-term congressman referred to the rioters as “insurrectionists” who must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law along with Trump and other enablers. Suozzi opined that both Democrats and Republicans alike rebuked the actions of the rioters looking back on the day of violence.

The large mob that had gathered to protest the election results refused to disburse and laid siege to the Capitol building for hours as police in riot gear attempted to gain control of them, using battering shields and deploying tear gas and pepper spray. A curfew was enacted and the D.C. National Guard was activated while nearby states sent additional law enforcement to increase the manpower.

Congress did not reconvene until late in the evening, and after a lofty debate with some dissenters, certified the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris just before 4 a.m. Thursday morning.