NJ congressman wants Trump and administration tried for ‘treachery, treason’

A North Jersey congressman is causing a stir after calling for the eventual investigation and prosecution of Donald Trump next year.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J. 9th District, said this week that Trump and his administration "have committed innumerable crimes against the United States" and that failing to hold them accountable "further emboldens criminality by our national leaders and continues America down the path of lawlessness and authoritarianism."

While many Democrats have also expressed support for further investigations of Trump, who became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly expressed little interest in such exercises. According to an NBC News report this week, Biden has reportedly told top advisors that he would prefer to "move on," although any decision would be left up to an independent Justice Department.

Pascrell would not be so keen to let bygones be bygones.

"He has endangered our national security. He ripped families apart. He poisoned the Census. He has personally profited from his office. He has attacked our elections and sought to throttle democracy. He was rightly impeached by the House of Representatives. He has engaged in treachery, in treason. He has all but given up on governing and protecting our nation and if he had a shred of dignity he would resign today," Pascrell's statement said, adding that "any further abuse of the sacred pardon power to shield criminals would itself be obstruction of justice and any self-pardons would be illegal."

Pascrell has served in Congress since 1997. In November he won re-election with 66% of the vote.

Trump has refused to concede the election, claiming — despite all vote counts to the contrary — that he won. Trump's legal team, which thus far has failed to score any significant victories in several courts, has called for legislatures in the swing states that Biden won specifically to disregard the election results and appoint Electoral College electors who would instead vote for Trump.

In another defeat for Trump, election officials in Georgia on Thursday said that an audit of election results found no widespread fraud or irregularities and that Biden had defeated Trump by 12,284. With Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Biden now has has 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, with a winner needing at least 270.