Syracuse Community Members Remind Katko That Nobody Is Above the Law
Constituents Ask Katko If the President Should Be Able to Pressure a Foreign Government to Interfere in Our Elections
Indivisible NY-24 * Public Citizen
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – More than 35 community members gathered today outside the office of U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) to demand that Congress support the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump.
Event organizers emphasized that Trump’s attempts to withhold military aid to pressure another country into acting to help a U.S. political campaign, and his attempts to cover it up, are illegal and impeachable offenses. In addition, nobody, including the president of the United States, is above the law.
Among the speakers was Onondaga County resident Frank D’Agostino, who recently filmed a conversation with Katko at a Farm Bureau event. D’Agostino asked Katko whether it is acceptable for the president to ask a foreign power to interfere in our elections. The video, which has been liked more than 1,000 times on Twitter, shows Katko saying something unintelligible then walking away from D’Agostino in an apparent attempt to avoid answering the question.
At the Monday rally, D’Agostino reiterated his question to the representative, demanding an answer.
“If the answer is no, it is not OK to pressure a foreign government to interfere in our elections, then you must support an impeachment inquiry by voting for articles of impeachment against this president. The president is not above the law and must be held accountable,” D’Agostino said.
Event organizers also pointed out Katko’s lack of willingness to discuss the impeachment inquiry in public or with constituents. Earlier this month, Katko declined an invitation to a town hall on impeachment. In addition, the organizers sought to schedule a meeting with the lawmaker but did not receive a response from Katko’s office. The only public statement issued by Katko is that he believes the impeachment inquiry to be a dramatic overstep.
The rally in Syracuse in one of dozens of events held across the country since the impeachment inquiry began. A recent Quinnipiac poll showed that 55% of respondents support the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
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