Texas congressman backpedals after implying election-related violence is needed
Rep. Louie Gohmert, whose election-related suit was dismissed, suggested that Trump supporters must get 'violent' about their grievances
With Congress set to certify Electoral College votes, cementing President-Elect Joe Biden’s presidential victory, only days away, Republicans have picked up the mantle in staging a last-ditch effort to overturn the results in favor of President Donald Trump.
One lawmaker even went as far as to imply that violence in the streets would happen if election results weren’t changed.
Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert filed a lawsuit against Vice President Mike Pence in an effort to force him to intercede in the election results. However, as reported by the New York Times, the suit was dismissed on Friday by Eastern Texas District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle, ruling that Gohmert and several Arizona Republicans who joined in the suit had no standing to sue Pence under these circumstances.
READ MORE: Fox, Newsmax walk back voter fraud claims after lawsuit threat
Gohmert was later interviewed on Newsmax, voicing not only his frustrations with the dismissal of his lawsuit against Pence, but with all the prior court dismissals of Republican attempts to challenge Biden’s electoral win.
“There still has not been one court, state or federal, that has had an evident jury hearing and allowed the evidence of fraud to come in and be introduced,” Gohmert stated. “So all this stuff about it being debunked, unsubstantiated, those are absolute lies.”
Talking specifically about his lawsuit’s dismissal specifically, Gohmert then suggested that violence would occur if Biden’s win is certified, saying, “But if bottom line is, the court is saying, ‘We’re not going to touch this. You have no remedy.’ Basically, in effect, the ruling would be that you gotta go the streets and be as violent as antifa and BLM.”
Several people condemned Gohmert’s statement insinuating violence. According to Newsweek, Joyce Vance, an MSNBC legal analyst, called the congressman a “dangerous threat to the republic and to public safety” and called for other Republicans to “speak up for a change.”
Gohmert would later post a statement on his Twitter account, clarifying his statement regarding implied violence, denouncing such behavior:
“I have not encouraged and unequivocally do not advocate for violence. I have long advocated for following the teachings and example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of peaceful protest. That does not keep me from recognizing what lies ahead when institutions created by a self-governing people to peacefully resolve their disputes hide from their responsibility. Violence is not the answer. The appropriate answer is courts and self-governing bodies resolving disputes as intended.”
Congress and the Senate are set to certify the electoral results at a joint session on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
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