January 17, 2021
Senator Kyrsten Sinema
Senator Mark Kelly
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senators:
On January 6th, our nation’s Capitol was attacked by a mob of armed insurrectionists. This was a horrible moment for us all. Both of you quickly condemned the violence. Senator Sinema went so far as to acknowledge that the violent insurrection was “incited by Donald Trump.”
We appreciate your words in the immediate aftermath of the attack but are sadly disappointed by your failures to speak out in the ten days since then.
Our nation is facing two extraordinary crises at once – a worsening pandemic and the fallout from the most serious insurrection since the Civil War. Your constituents in Arizona, indeed all Americans, need strong leadership and assurance. This is a time for you to courageously demand accountability in the face of an open attack on our Capitol and Constitution.
We need to hear you condemn not only the foot soldiers of this insurrection but also its leaders. Decry Donald Trump, yes, but also call out your Congressional colleagues and the Arizona legislators who helped to incite the attack and the on-going threats by questioning what in any other year would be seen as a landslide victory for President-Elect Joe Biden and VP-Elect Kamala Harris.
We hope that you denounce more than the violence of January 6. That day was the cumulation of years of toxic rhetoric. We call on you to condemn the lies, the white supremacy, the plots to suppress votes, the domestic terrorism, and the dishonoring of our democracy that led to the eruption of violence on January 6 and which continue to threaten our nation. Please acknowledge that extremism and terrorism on the right are the most urgent domestic threats we face as a country. These are not issues that can succumb to compromise; they must be addressed clearly and unequivocally.
Ten days (as of this writing) is too long for you to remain silent. You may plead neutrality because you may sit as judges in an impeachment trial. Yet, other Senators have spoken out in support of conviction and barring Trump from office for life. Join them. Further, promise investigations that will root out the perpetrators at the highest levels including, potentially, Congressional colleagues.
The trauma this country has suffered since November 3 is great. Our Constitution, which depends on tradition and the good faith of our leaders, has been exposed as shockingly fragile. We call on you to speak out for the Constitution and against domestic terrorism and white supremacy, and to promise to pursue those responsible for the insurrection and hold them accountable. Please wait no longer.
Respectfully,
Coconino County Democratic Party
by its Executive Committee