Bad news for House Republican Mo Brooks
The Department of Justice is taking care of the private citizens involved in the insurrection at our Capitol, but what about the lawmakers whom many believe were involved? Some were openly involved, like Alabama representative Mo Brooks. He spoke at the rally, telling people to “kick some ass” and then went on to object to the certification of votes confirming Joe Biden’s presidency. He now wants to be a senator after likening President Biden’s win to Lincoln’s, intimating that civil war is imminent according to ProPublica. He was joined at his announcement by white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer Stephen Miller. This man cannot be elected to the senate, and The Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund (“SPLC”) is trying to do something about that.
SPLC has filed a complaint against Mo Brooks, seeking his disbarment. This is no mere publicity stunt by SPLC. It is a 200-page complaint (including exhibits) that not only outlined Brooks’ actions but gives a complete history of southern politicians orchestrating violence to end Reconstruction. Brooks does not necessarily need SPLC to say that for him, given his comparison of the Biden election to Lincoln’s. Mo Brooks was one of the main members of Congress who loudly protested the results of the 2020 election. Worse, Brooks—just like Trump—began spreading disinformation prior to the election, as evidenced by snapshots of his social media included as exhibits to SPLC’s complaint.
Mo Brooks began his disinformation campaign as early as August 30, claiming that absentee voting was voter fraud. He was relentless, posting similar tweets well into October. Immediately after the election, Brooks vowed that he would not certify the election results, even after AG William Barr confirmed that no widespread election fraud occurred. The truth does not matter to these people. They want the world to run as they see fit, everyone else be damned. Brooks was part of the group that filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, trying to invalidate the election results. He even partnered with Ali Alexander to promote the “Save America Rally” from which the insurrection stemmed. This man does not deserve to be a lawyer or a member of the House, let alone a senator.
Following his speech on January 6, Brooks took to Twitter to continue to stoke the crowd about “fraud and election theft” and encouraged his followers to “fight for America’s Republic.” Now, you can take his words any way you like, but for the people at the Capitol that day who were itching for a fight, those words were precisely the spark needed to light their fuse. SPLC’s complaint outlines that Brooks has continued his disinformation campaign and has irreparably broken the rules of professional conduct. In addition, SPLC charged Brooks with the following: treason, rebellion/insurrection, seditious conspiracy, advocating overthrow of the government, inciting a riot, criminal conspiracy, and criminal solicitation. For these reasons, SPLC implores the Alabama bar to remove Brooks from their rolls. While this is likely not going to happen, given Alabama’s history, these attorneys are standing up for what they believe. Hopefully, they can at least derail his senatorial bid.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years