WASHINGTON — After the January 6 insurrection that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) are crafting a condemning resolution to censure former President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the riot.
The move comes following the vote earlier this week by 45 Republican senators to declare an impeachment trial against Trump unconstitutional, all but ensuring when the trial gets underway on February 9, it will not result in a conviction.
"If you do not have accountability for bad actions, they multiply," said Kaine. "That's an ironclad law of human psychology and human history. There has to be an accountability for bad actions."
Kaine said Thursday the idea is to include some elements of the 14th Amendment that would lead to Trump's disqualification from future office.
"My resolution would find that activity was actions that gave aid and comfort to the insurrectionists, and, finally, it would condemn the President's behavior," he said.
Kaine said the resolution has not been submitted yet, and he is continuing to discuss the idea with Senate colleagues in an effort to build bipartisan support
Kaine is also urging swift action on new COVID-19 relief, which he says he views as "job one, two, three, four, and five."
Plus he's pushing for a gradual increase to the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, which he says, after more than 11 years since the last hike, is long overdue.