BY BEN WASSERSTEIN
(CNS ) – The Virginia Senate is moving forward with a motion to censure Chesterfield Republican Sen. Amanda Chase after she failed on Friday to comply with an agreement to apologize for her attacks on Democratic colleagues and her actions at the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol.
A motion to censure Chase was introduced by Sen John Bell, D-Loudon, following the mob violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Chase, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, was present at the insurrection, speaking early in the day to the crowd in support of former President Trump. Her presence was met with criticism from members of both parties in the Virginia Senate.
“The Virginia Senate Democratic Party has called for my resignation, and members from both sides have called for my censure, all due to my support of President Donald J Trump and my attendance at a peaceful protest,” Chase said.
Bell, an Air Force veteran of 26 years, said he holds oaths sacred and believes that Chase broke her oath of office.
“We swear allegiance to support the Constitution of the United States and then the Constitution of Virginia and I feel the actions that Senator Chase took speaking at the event on January 6th, helped to incite the violence took place there, which was an insurrection against our country,” Bell said.
Chase maintains her view that the protest was peaceful citing now deleted Facebook videos, she said. Five people died during the protest, including a police officer.
Bell, Chase and Sen. Joe Morissey, D-Richmond, reached an agreement for Chase to clarify her remarks and apologize for actions on the Senate floor Friday.
“I believe in second chances, I believe in giving someone the opportunity to do what’s right and I think this is a fair thing to do,” Bell said. “Unfortunately, her remarks today, she never gave an unconditional apology. She just said if she offended someone for supporting or loving the Constitution, she’s sorry. That’s not the kind of apology for calling someone a racist that I was looking for, she did not condemn the white supremacy groups, the anti-Semitic groups and the and the violence and the insurrection at the Capitol those were never condemned”
Bell said he will move forward with the measure to censure Chase.
Additionally, Chase was removed from her committee assignments on Tuesday and she blamed party politics as a reason.
Chase continues to maintain the disproven theory that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent adding that people should not “believe the propaganda-filled media,” she said.
