The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

It’s clear that President Donald Trump incited Wednesday’s devastating insurrection of the United States Capitol. But Republican congresspeople, including Syracuse’s own Rep. John Katko, are also largely at fault for passively endorsing Trump’s emboldenment of white supremacy. 

After four years of mostly silence during Trump’s reckless antics, Katko finally took a small step in the right direction on Wednesday by voting against the objections to Electoral College votes. Now it’s time for him to go a step further and call for Trump’s impeachment.

It should come as no surprise to Katko that Trump’s presidency ends in a violent, attempted coup conducted by white supremacists. The president has often failed to denounce white supremacists for their racist efforts, instead rallying the Proud Boys in September to “stand back and stand by” and complimenting the neo-Nazis involved in the 2017 Charlottesville riot as “very fine people.” Most recently, Trump labeled the instigators of the Capitol attack as “patriots.” 

Yet, Katko endorsed the president’s bid for a second term in 2020. “Last time, I had his personality to judge on, and that’s it,” Katko told Syracuse.com. “But this time we have to look at what we’ve been able to accomplish under his presidency.” 

By accomplishments, Katko claimed to be referencing economic improvement, new trade deals and the ongoing trade war with China. But, in effect, he was also endorsing the heightened racial tensions, rise in police brutality incidents and renewed confidence of hate groups that have occurred since 2016. The representative of New York’s 24th Congressional District ignores that any endorsement of Trump is, by default, an endorsement of white supremacy.

Katko and other Republican congressional leaders’ obsequious tendencies have proven to be a huge issue in Trump’s final days of power. Since refusing to endorse Trump in 2016, Katko rarely rebukes Trump, and mainly on Trump’s false claims to “stop the steal” of the 2020 election. 

While unyielding support for white supremacists was not a deal breaker for Katko, Trump’s implausible voter fraud conspiracy and insurrection that placed the representative’s life in danger were. It’s a concerning trend for Katko that makes him seem more unsettled by far-fetched conspiracy theories than blatant racism.

On Wednesday, Katko stated that the president crossed an unforgivable line.

“If I knew back then what I saw yesterday, I clearly wouldn’t have supported him, and I can’t support him going forward,” Katko said. “Hindsight is 20-20.”

But there has been more than enough evidence proving the president capable of inciting such a violent act of terrorism. In 2015, Trump threatened to physically fight Black Lives Matter protesters. And of course, at the start of the BLM protests in May 2020, Trump tweeted that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” a claim that didn’t hold up when it came to white supremacists looting a federal building. 

Trump has made public his acceptance and encouragement of white supremacy, in press conferences and on the debate stage. That Katko failed to — or chose not to — take issue with the president’s rhetoric, and that he stood by him for reelection, suggests he is unfit for office. 

Katko’s efforts to redeem himself from Trump’s stronghold come too little, too late. In reality, Katko is only trying to save face in front of his moderate and Democratic constituents to receive their vote two years down the road. The violent assault on our U.S. Capitol was an embarrassing spectacle for all Americans, and Katko is not an exception.

Through Trump’s presidency, it’s become obvious that we can not expect moderate congresspeople such as Katko to prioritize their ethical values over political gain. Time and again, Katko has stayed silent on issues singlehandedly caused by a president he continued to endorse up until Wednesday. 

For this reason, Katko and the hundreds of other Republican congresspeople who passively and silently accepted Trump’s antics for their own political benefit — which, in the past, they were able to deny — are indirectly responsible for the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. After Wednesday, criticizing Trump with a mere tweet for not taking “a more forceful stand” against the insurrectionists is not enough.

At the eleventh hour, Katko must hail Mary by calling for the impeachment of Trump. While it will not redeem him for the past four years of passively condoning white supremacy, it will return the government to its rightful owners: the people.

Katko will not be the first Republican to sacrifice his right-leaning values and call on Trump to either resign or be impeached. Sens. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.) have done it. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) has done it. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has done it. It’s time for Katko to protect American democracy and call for the immediate impeachment of President Trump.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email opinion@dailyorange.com.

Published on January 8, 2021 at 6:27 pm

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com