Siblings of 2 Congressmen Call for Removal From Office

Ariz. Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar face family's blame for Capitol riot
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2021 1:00 PM CST
Congressmen's Own Siblings Want Them Out
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., objects to certifying Arizona's Electoral College votes during a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to count the electoral votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol, on Jan 6, 2021.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Critics of lawmakers who backed President Trump's election challenges want them removed from office, and those critics sometimes include their own relatives. Two of Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs' four siblings are calling for the Republican's removal in a letter to the editor at the Arizona Republic. William Biggs and Daniel Biggs, both of Tucson, argue that their brother is "at least partially to blame" for the Capitol riot. As previously reported, a leader of the Stop the Steal movement claimed to have worked with Biggs, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, and Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks to put "maximum pressure on Congress" amid the certification of electoral votes at the Capitol on Jan. 6. While Biggs has issued a denial, CNN describes a "fear of legal exposure" in an article noting that several Republican lawmakers requested a pardon from Trump before he left office.

Biggs' brothers also fault him for refusing to wear a mask while sheltering with lawmakers at the Capitol. "It was a passive-aggressive tantrum and the ultimate disrespect for all present," the letter states. William Biggs, a 67-year-old Democrat, says "this just seemed like too big a moment to just sit on the sidelines and not say anything." Similarly, three of Gosar's nine siblings are seeking his expulsion from Congress. "What he's done personally is commit treason I think," David Gosar said of the congressman last week, per KNXV. Like Biggs, Gosar objected to the certification of Arizona's election results. "He has blood on his hands for those people dying in there," his brother said. Several members of Congress are requesting an investigation to determine if lawmakers were liable for the violence. (Gosar blamed antifa.)

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