(RepublicanInformer)- Democrats in the Senate have filed an ethics complaint against Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley because.
The group of Democrats are apparently not happy with the senators exercising their rights to challenge the Electoral College results.
In a letter sent to Senators Chris Coons (Democrat) and James Lankford (Republican), the chair and vice chair of the Senate Ethics panel, respectively, the Democratic senators wrote:
“By proceeding with their objections to the electors after the violent attack, Senators Cruz and Hawley lent legitimacy to the mob’s cause and made future violence more likely.”
The letter called for Cruz and Hawley to be investigated on several fronts. This included whether they encouraged the January 6 violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building; whether they coordinated with any organizers of the rally that was held before the riot; whether the senators received any donations from groups, individuals or organizations that also funded that rally; and whether they “engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior.”
The group is being led by Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.
In a statement, Hawley called the complaint “a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge.” He also said the Democrats were “intent on weaponizing every tool at their disposal.”
Also in a statement, a spokesperson for Cruz said “it is unfortunate that some congressional Democrats are disregarding President Biden’s call for unity and are instead playing political games by filing frivolous ethics complaints against their colleagues.”
Both Cruz and Hawley have denied they in any way incited the attack on the Capitol building, which ultimately led to five people dying and many more being injured. In fact, both senators have publicly condemned the violence that took place on January 6.
The Democratic senators filing the complaint, though, said that by simply objecting to the Electoral College results in Arizona and then Pennsylvania, Cruz and Hawley were giving credibility to former President Donald Trump’s claims of “widespread voter fraud.”
The letters specifically referred to the senators voting against certifying the results of those two states even after the insurrection occurred. The senators wrote:
“By continuing to object to the electors after the insurrection, Senators Cruz and Hawley lent legitimacy to the mob’s cause.”
Other signers of the letter were Democratic Senators Ron Wyden (Oregon), Tim Kaine (Virginia), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Tina Smith (Minnesota), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii).
In the wake of the insurrection and the fact that Cruz and Hawley objected to the Electoral College results, some Democratic senators have even called for Cruz and Hawley to resign from their positions. Coons, specifically, said the two should step down as senators.
Some internal issues have happened during January 6, too. The communications director for Cruz resigned.
Hawley lost a book deal with Simon & Schuster, although he has since picked up another publisher for his book. And former Senator John Danforth, who served as Hawley’s mentor, said his support for Hawley “was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life.”
