I regard the censure of state Senator Amanda Chase to be complete nonsense and an unfair attempt to silence her political views. The censure resolution passed today with a vote of 24 to 9 in the state senate, after a long debate. The resolution was introduced by Senator John Bell (D-Loudoun).
The Bill of Censure is based, primarily, upon the events involving trespassing and vandalism at the United States Capitol which occurred on January 6, 2021. Richmond Sunlight » SR91: Senator Amanda F. Chase; expresses the censure of the Senate of Virginia.
Senator Chase did not encourage, incite or demand people trespass inside the US Capitol. She issued the following abject public apology: “If I have offended any of you in this room, because I am very passionate about the Constitution I apologize and would like to put this behind us and move forward in a constructive positive manner.” Yet even this apology was insufficient for Democrats who are out for her blood.
Censure is not as harsh a punishment as expulsion nevertheless it carries with it some complications.
Censure is clearly authorized by Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of Virginia which provides that each house of the General Assembly may “punish [its members] for disorderly behavior.” This provision was obviously drafted to prevent members of the Senate to prohibit them from interfering with Senate proceedings and not punishing them for their general political views. If A.E. Dick Howard wants to disagree with this conclusion he is free to do so. Article IV, Section 7 was not intended to be some sort of generalized authority to criticize an elected official’s political opinions.
