Statement from Government Accountability Project on Violent Sedition Efforts to Undermine Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 06, 2021

Statement from Government Accountability Project on Violent Sedition Efforts to Undermine Democracy 

WASHINGTON—Today, thousands of domestic terrorists descended on the nation’s capitol building, violently disrupting the Electoral College vote count. For weeks President Trump and his allies have been refusing to accept the clear and lawful results of the presidential election in favor of President-elect Joseph Biden—through more than 60 frivolous lawsuits, pressure to replace state electors, potentially criminally calling the Secretary of State of Georgia to overturn the state’s presidential election results, and in today’s planned efforts by Senate and House Republicans to object, without basis, the largely ceremonial congressional electoral vote count. The angry mob had been stoked by President Trump and his allies to not accept the election results.

Government Accountability Project condemns today’s violence in Washington, DC, and more strongly condemns the actions of President Trump and members of Congress who have actively, and flagrantly, fueled through false information efforts to undermine the election results and resist a peaceful transition of power. These actions are illegal, an abuse of authority, and a threat to our nation’s safety and security. They are not merely an affront to democracy; they directly attack it. 

Louis Clark, Executive Director of Government Accountability Project, said, 

“We launched the Democracy Protection Initiative this fall to support employees who choose to speak up in the face of wrongdoing about threats to election integrity and a peaceful transition of power. While we clearly don’t need whistleblowers to expose the sedition of President Trump and members of Congress who have incited today’s violence challenging our government, we do need swift and strong bipartisan leadership and accountability—including impeachment—of those who have through their positions of authority sown illegitimate doubt in our democracy, now to the point of violence in service of an attempted coup.”

Dana Gold, Government Accountability Project’s Senior Counsel and Director of its Democracy Protection Initiative, stated,

“After four years of this Administration’s repeated abuses of authority, example after example revealed by whistleblowers, there must finally be consequences to threats of this magnitude to our democracy. It will not be enough to hold our breath hoping the ship of state holds until January 20. Accountability must happen now, followed by a reckoning and repair to ensure that abuses of this nature will never again be allowed or enabled. We stand ready to support all those employees of conscience in federal government who want to come forward with evidence of wrongdoing and abuses by this administration—or those that may occur in the future. Such truth-telling will be needed to sanitize the stains of sedition and to strengthen our nation going forward. Our democracy depends on it.”

Contact: Andrew Harman, Communications Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 926-3304

Government Accountability Project

Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

###