A video calling for the expulsion of GOP senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz following the violence at the US Capitol has become viral on social media. The clip produced by "Really American" has now been watched more than two million times.
The video mixed footage of Cruz and Hawley with police officers being attacked by pro-Trump supporters during the US Capitol riot on January 6. According to the voiceover in the video, both the senators from Texas and Missouri should be expelled as they played a major role in inciting violence in Washington DC.
The Capitol riot on January 6 was carried out by pro-Trump supporters. The incident caused the death of five people, including a police officer Brian D. Sicknickm, who died on January 7 due to injuries sustained while on-duty. The rioters stormed the Capitol to stop the certification process of Joe Biden's election win. This incident shocked not only the Americans but also the entire world.
The Viral Video on Cruz and Hawley
Cruz and Hawley were widely criticized for challenging the certification of Biden's victory even after the violent incident at the Capitol. Some Texas newspapers also called for Cruz's resignation for his role in encouraging the US Capitol riot.
The Really American video, which was shared on Sunday, January 17, gained more than two million views in just nine hours. In the video, the narrator said: "The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution is clear: No American who is engaged in insurrection or rebellion is allowed to hold office."
"While seven Republican senators voted to overturn the November 2020 election, Ted Crus and Josh Hawley share the most blame for firing up the violent mob of Trump supporters that attacked the US capitol and killed five people," the narrator added.
It included a clip in which Cruz can be heard saying to the Trump-supporters, "We will not go quietly into the night." Then another clip showed Hawley giving an interview on Fox News during which he said: "There were big problems with this election. There were major election integrity issues. There needs to be an investigation. There need to be changed to the law."
Hawley faced massive criticism for his clenched-fist salute to pro-Trump supporters before they stormed the Capitol building. The newly released video also added that image and the narrator said: "The same terrorists who Josh Hawley greeted at the Capitol with a raised fist broke into the people's house with the intent to kidnap and even murder elected officials."
The 1-minute 39-second video then showed a clip of a Trump supporter outside the Capitol building. He can be heard saying: "Death is the only remedy for what's in that building."
The video accused both the senators of continuing "undeterred to lie" about the 2020 US election. At one point the narrator said: "Cruz and Hawley are too dangerous to wait to vote out. They need to be expelled from the Senate immediately and prosecuted for aiding and abetting acts of terrorism."
Senators Against Cruz and Hawley
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said his colleagues should consider expelling Cruz and Hawley. During an interview on PBS last week, Manchin said that even though he has a good relationship with both of them, their alleged violation of the 14th Amendment's rule against inciting an insurrection and holding public office should be under investigation.
Similarly, Washington state's senior Senator, Patty Murray has also called for the resignation of Cruz and Hawley. "Any senator who stands up and supports the power of force over the power of democracy has broken their oath of office. Senators Hawley and Cruz should resign," she added.
However, both the senators had provided explanations for their actions. Hawley said that he objected to the certification because he wanted an opportunity to highlight that some states, specifically Pennsylvania, failed to follow state election laws, by expanding voting options during the Coronavirus pandemic. Cruz said in a statement: "What I was doing and what the other senators were doing is what we were elected to do, which is debating matters of great import in the chamber of the US Senate."
