To the Editor:

Bob Gibbs

On Jan. 6, as rioters stormed the Capitol and put our representatives and the very fabric of our democracy in danger, Rep. Bob Gibbs tweeted, “This is shameful, unacceptable and un-American! Violence is not the answer. Everyone must stand down and let Capitol Police do their job and secure the area!”

Only a few hours later, Gibbs voted to overturn the fair and free election that these rioters had sought to subvert.

In James 2 the writer states, “Faith without works is dead.” If the writer of James is so harsh at the very absence of action, then what would he say to Gibbs, whose words and actions are the complete opposite of one another?

Since the riot, Gibbs has made no declaration in the press about this insurrection, nor has he retracted any of his rhetoric that built the foundations for said riot to occur. He has not co-signed or put forward any legislation decrying or denouncing the actions of the rioters at the Capitol, nor has he made any calls for an investigation or even unity. His silence speaks volumes.

His only public response on the matter is his vote late Wednesday night to acquiesce to the demands of the very insurrectionists to overturn the results of a democratic election. Demands that, as a reminder, are based on a false alternate reality. Demands that are authoritarian in nature. Demands that are — in his words — shameful, unacceptable and un-American.

This is our representative, the man who is supposed to represent us Ohioans, the residents of Knox County, trying to overturn our own votes — votes that placed him in public office. He wants to be simultaneously remembered for his “denouncement” of insurrectionists by a single tweet, while ignoring his actions that believe the thrust of this attempted coup of our United States is a righteous cause.

If we are true patriots, honorable citizens and advocates of democracy; then we must call on Rep. Gibbs to resign his post. If we do not, then we endorse his move to end free and fair democratic elections and acquiesce to the violent mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday.

For it is not just the mob that is shameful, unacceptable and un-American; it’s also the man that complied with their demands.

You cannot denounce authoritarianism while voting for authoritarianism. Or rather, you can — if your constituents let you get away with it.

Signed,

Trevor Rhodes

Mount Vernon

To the Editor:

Lies

“An elected institution that opposes elections is inviting its own overthrow.” 

These words by Timothy Snyder in the New York Times have stuck with me for several days. They speak to truth and consequences. The fatal lie told by political leaders and believed by millions — that our election was “rigged” and that Donald Trump is the true winner — will have devastating consequences for us all: the loss of democracy. This lie fed the discontent that led to last week’s deadly insurrection. 

The country indulged Trump’s lie for two months. He took it upon himself to challenge the votes only in those swing states he lost, spending much of November and December engaged in more than 60 lawsuits contesting the results. He lost every single suit. Not a single piece of evidence convinced any judge — including judges appointed by Trump — to overturn the results. All the while, Trump heralded the lie that he won the election in a “landslide.” He fed Americans with provably false information about fraud.

Had our Republican leaders done what legislators have done in elections past for centuries — accept and acknowledge the winner — perhaps no storm would have descended on the Capitol to disrupt the congressional certification of the election last Wednesday. Instead, legislators like our own Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-7), perpetuated the lie, riled up their base of QAnon and radical far-right groups, and encouraged them to “Stop the Steal.”

As of this morning (Jan. 11), Rep. Gibbs still has not issued a public statement denouncing the violence. But I’m not surprised. Gibbs was, after all, one of the 100+ U.S. representatives who voted on Jan. 6, AFTER the insurrection, to oppose certification of the Electoral College for “certain states.” 

In voting to reject the certification, Bob Gibbs willfully lied to his constituents. He knows how elections work; he’s been running for various offices for two decades. He knows how votes are counted and by whom and how rare it is to find fraud. He knows how vote totals are released throughout the night and sometimes into the days following an election. He knows our system allows for ballots from overseas U.S. servicepeople. He knows what provisional ballots are. He knows the role of the Secretary of State in certifying elections. He is not some rube.

Hence, he lied last week. He continues to lie by not acknowledging Joe Biden as president-elect. And in letting this lie stand and fester, he is every bit as culpable for the Capitol insurrection as Donald Trump. If he had half a conscience, if he mourned those five deaths, he would resign. We, the voters of the 7th U.S. Congressional District, deserve better. 

Sincerely,

Meg Galipault

Mount Vernon