Members of Congress,
I am writing to you as a veteran of the United States Army. I served for 13 years and have been deployed twice to Afghanistan and to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in Louisiana. My reason for this letter is to ask for the chance to uphold my oath of enlistment, which I carry with me even after being honorably discharged. Regardless of where I have stood politically, the Constitution has always been extremely important to me. As part of my oath, I would like to have the opportunity to testify against Donald Trump.
On Jan. 6, 2021, the unthinkable happened. Terrorists inspired by Trump’s words carried out an insurrection on our nation’s Capitol that resulted in the death of five Americans, plus two suicides in the days and weeks following the attacks. Among the dead were women, veterans and police officers. These are the people that Republicans always say matter to them.
When words inspire violence and death, they are no longer protected under the First Amendment but are in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Trump is clearly responsible for the insurrection. You must find him guilty.
As a veteran, I want to state my case about why he should be convicted; my words are supported by many other veterans who also want to uphold their oaths to our country. If Trump is not held accountable, we will set a dangerous precedent for future presidents to act like dictators and place themselves above the law. This kind of outcome is something that our forefathers were against and one reason we have checks and balances in the Constitution. All I am asking is to follow through with my oath of enlistment and make my case about a man who refuses to even testify to prove his innocence. If he were a a true leader, he would take responsibility for his words and his followers. Since he will not, we must show the American people that we do not take kindly to seditionists and traitors who challenge to the rule of law. Soldiers and veterans are loyal to the Constitution, not to a man or party, and it’s our job to uphold that oath — so I ask that we make our oath mean something by allowing the voice of veterans to be heard. We are a country of the people, not of Trump.