Members of the American public and lawmakers alike are demanding action after the unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday that forced members of Congress into lockdown and delayed the counting of Electoral College votes. Congressman Seth Moulton (D-Mass. - 6th District) is among several lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.- 12th District), calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office for inciting the chaos that unfolded on Capitol Hill.
"What President Trump did was not only illegal, it was anti-democratic. It was un-American, and we need to show future generations of Americans and future presidents that they can't get away with this," Moulton told Cheddar.
For Moulton, the president is just one of several people culpable for fanning the flames of aggression that led to yesterday's attack on Congress. Though the congressman considers many of his GOP counterparts friends, he said, "they have blood on their hands" and should also be held accountable.
"At the end of the day, the domestic terrorists — and that's what they were, domestic terrorists, not protesters but domestic terrorists — who attacked our government outside the Capitol, breaking in and breaching the U.S. Capitol for the first time since the British in the War of 1812, those domestic terrorists outside the Capitol were supported and inspired by the lawless Republican lawmakers inside the Capitol who refused to respect the will of the American people," he said.
The Marine veteran who served as an infantry officer said two law enforcement breakdowns led to Wednesday's display: a lack of backup support for officers and a lack of competence displayed by members of the Capitol Police. "There are over 2,000 Capitol Police and yet, yesterday we saw them literally open barricades in some places for these protesters, taking selfies with these protesters, and fundamentally allowing them to overrun the Capitol," Moulton said.
While DC's National Guard will be mobilized for the next 30 days, Moulton said the president's refusal to activate the troops while the chaos was unfolding exposes a larger issue in the matter of the District of Columbia's lack of statehood.
"The president had no problem calling out the National Guard to put down peaceful protests this summer over Black Lives Matter but he did not want the National Guard called out against his own supporters," he said.
Though there are just under two weeks left of Trump's presidency, Moulton said impeaching the president has to be on the table to show that no one, not even the president, is above the law.
"Yesterday, he clearly broke the law, and he fundamentally violated his oath of office, which is to protect us Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic," he added.
President Biden and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell meet at the White House today for the first time since Powell's renomination to the position. The President and the Fed Chair discussed the economy and historically high inflation, as new data shows inflation may be cooling slightly. Morning Consult economic analyst Jesse Wheeler joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how the Biden administration at the U.S. central bank can work together to combat soaring prices for American consumers.
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Cheddar Politics looks at the ongoing efforts to pass meaningful gun safety laws in both Chambers of Congress following multiple mass shootings. Lisa Hagen, senior political reporter for U.S. News and World Report, helps break down why Senators are hopeful that a modest bipartisan gun safety package might be able to overcome a filibuster.
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With the baby formula in the United States surging to an out-of-stock rate of 70 percent, the FDA has given Abbott permission to reopen its Michigan plant amid the crisis and authorized foreign imports. Professor Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing shortage and its wide impact. “As difficult as things is in urban areas, they’re even worse in small communities and tribal areas where parents can't just go to the next store on the corner," he said. Pitts also noted that the Abbott factory was a "disaster" prior to its shutdown and that it would have been "regulatory malpractice" to have left it open.
Cheddar's Megan Pratz reports from the ground in Uvalde, Texas where the community's grief and frustration with lawmakers and police officers grows as more details emerge.
