Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene testified under oath for three hours Friday during a disqualification hearing that is centered around whether she is constitutionally prohibited from holding office due to her supposed role in the events of Jan. 6.
Greene’s candidacy was challenged by a group of Georgia voters that is working with a coalition of liberal activists and scholars.
At the heart of the debate is whether Greene is eligible to hold office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Perhaps now we know why Democrats and the mainstream media have insisted Jan. 6 was an “insurrection” despite not a single charge of insurrection.
That section of the 14th Amendment was ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War to prohibit current and former U.S. military officers, federal officers and state officials who served the Confederacy from serving again in public office unless their disability was removed by at least a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress.
Now it is being used as a Hail Mary-type of strategy to keep Marjorie Taylor Greene off the ballot and out of office. Earlier this year a judge blocked an effort to disqualify Congressman Madison Cawthorn over similar accusations.
In a CNN article, there is a line that stands out:
“The outcome in the case could have national implications because liberal attorneys have said they will mount a similar challenge against Trump if he runs again for President in 2024.”
In MTG’s case, the administrative judge will issue a recommendation and the Georgia Secretary of State will take the judge’s findings and decide whether to disqualify Greene.
This is a dangerous place for our election process to be considering the partisan nature that could be used to make these monumental decisions.
It will be worth watching these challenges in 2022 to see just how a similar challenge may impact Donald J. Trump in 2024.
