Nightly Nuance: January 12

Beth talks about the continued bureaucratic fallout from the siege on the Capitol. 

Her internet is currently down, so she'll post her notes and links here when it's back up! -Alise

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Hello, my friends. Apologies for the delay on the notes here. Today has been a bad sitcom at the Silvers's residence. Many thanks to Alise for getting the audio file up! 

OK, as you might know by now, I'm still focused on the small but meaningful ways that responsibility for the Capitol siege is turning into accountability. 

First up, Rudy Giuliani (shakes head). The New York State Bar Association is investigating whether to expel him as a member after receiving hundreds of complaints, watching him file numerous meritless lawsuits throughout the country, and hearing his suggestion that we "have a trial by combat." The NYSBA isn't in charge of lawyer discipline in New York, but this is still unusual and historic. They have rules against members advocating the overthrow of government. 

Next, Senators Hawley and Cruz are running out of friends. A number of their colleagues have called for their resignation or an ethics investigation that could lead to expulsion from the Senate. Additionally, about 7,000 lawyers and law students would like to see them disbarred. This effort is unlikely to go anywhere, but it's significant to have thousands of people say you are unfit for the legal profession. 

Members of Congress who voted in favor of objections to accepting Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral college votes are also facing consequences. The Times Union Editorial Board has called for Representative Elise Stefanik to resign (she says she will not), and the Harvard Institute of Politics removed her from its Senior Advisory Committee. 

Representative Cori Bush plus 47 colleagues have filed a resolution for an Ethics Investigation of every House Republican who objected to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral college votes and emphasized the impact those objections have on Black, Brown, and Indigenous Americans. 

Of course, not all consequences of bad actions land on the people who caused them. Sadly, three Democratic representatives have tested positive for Covid-19 after sheltering with non-mask-wearing Republicans during the Capitol siege: Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Pramila Jayapal, and Brad Schneider. 

I hope you've had the best available Tuesdays during an increasingly strained time. 

P.S. In case you missed it, you might be interested on this thread I posted today regarding Republican calls for "unity."  

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