Censure resolution filed against Rep. Mo Brooks

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - A resolution has been filed in the U.S. House of Representatives that calls for the formal censure of Alabama U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Dist. 5, following the deadly Jan. 6 siege of the nation’s Capitol.

Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-NJ, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-FL, filed the resolution, pointing to excerpts of a speech Brooks gave to a crowd of protesters shortly before many of them marched on the Capitol.

“The threat from these violent extremists remains ongoing, and many of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, fear for the safety of their families,” Malinowski stated. “Congressman Brooks, however, remains unrepentant. This will not be tolerated.”

During the censure process, the representative in question is required to stand on the House floor while the resolution is read aloud in a public rebuke of their statements or actions. A censure does not include removal from office.

The resolution cites several statements made by Brooks during his speech, including one in which he told pro-Trump supporters “Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking asses.”

Brooks said in an interview Friday that he was intending to encourage people to vote and raise their spirits after Republicans lost two Georgia senate seats, and thus the U.S. Senate, the day before the rally.

“It never occurred to me anyone would engage in violence as a result of my speech or any others. I wanted people to go to protests. I saw what happened was horrible for the American public,” Brooks said.

Brooks has also indicated, without proof, that members of the BlackLivesMatter movement and ANTIFA were responsible for the chaos.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s lone Democratic member of Congress spoke out Monday about some of the Republican members of the state’s delegation in the days since the Capitol siege.

Rep. Terri Sewell, District 7, said she’s been asked multiple times for her thoughts in the days since pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, specifically in regards to Brooks and Rep. Barry Moore, R-District 2.

Sewell said the state’s delegation, made up of six Republicans and one Democrat, “has had a history of civility, if not congeniality, irrespective of political party.”

Despite that history, however, Sewell said she “cannot let the irresponsible and inflammatory remarks of some of my colleagues go unanswered.”

Sewell called out her colleagues, saying “It’s not okay for elected officials to continue to peddle lies and conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud and an allegedly stolen presidential election.”

“It is not okay for my congressional colleagues to use their public platform to incite Americans to overturn our election, storm the U.S. Capitol or assault our democracy,” she added. “It’s called an insurrection and such seditious behavior must have consequences.”

And she added, “It’s not okay to use racial overtones to further spread deceptive narratives that perpetuate the lie that caused last week’s violent events.”

Sewell concluded that “such lawmakers must be held accountable,” though she did not indicate specifically how she would hold her colleagues to account.

Moore’s personal Twitter account was suspended Sunday. He later deactivated it, though he still has access to his professional @RepBarryMoore account.

All of Alabama’s Congressional delegation came out to condemn the violence in the day following the attack.

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