Jan. 6 Committee Members Urge Biden to Step Aside, Citing Trump
The increasing protest from Democratic lawmakers who examined Trump’s attempts to undermine the 2020 election is notably distinct from other routine demands for Biden to withdraw from the race.
TroibNews 
Democrats, who were key figures on the House Jan. 6 committee that concluded Donald Trump poses a significant risk to democracy, are now leading a campaign urging President Joe Biden to reconsider his bid for reelection. This push stems from their concerns over a resurgent Trump.
Throughout this week, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) — three of the Jan. 6 panel’s seven Democrats — publicly called on Biden to reevaluate his candidacy due to the party's waning confidence in his ability to prevent another Trump presidency. Their appeals reflect their findings from their work on the select committee.
“As a member of the [Jan. 6 committee], I know, perhaps as well as anyone, how unsuitable Donald Trump is to be president,” Lofgren stated in a letter to Biden released Friday. “He remains as grave a threat to the Constitutional order and rule of law as he was on January 6, 2021.”
The calls from those who studied Trump's attempts to overturn the election carry more significance than those from general Democratic ranks.
In an MSNBC appearance following her letter's release, Lofgren emphasized: “I think it’s telling that members of the January 6 committee — myself, Adam Schiff [and] Jamie Raskin — have all suggested that he step aside and that we get another candidate who can beat Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a threat to America. ...He must not be elected.”
Schiff, Lofgren, and Raskin are notable allies of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who recently warned Biden that grumblings among Democrats would likely increase. They spent 18 months collecting evidence and trying to convince the public about the dangers of a Trump presidency. The select committee interviewed hundreds of witnesses and held highly-publicized hearings showing Trump as attempting to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and inciting violence at the Capitol when other tactics failed.
“It’s really time for the party to nominate a new leader to carry on the torch as we move forward in this battle that is consequential for the future of this country,” said former Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), also a Jan. 6 committee member, in an interview. “The fact that Adam Schiff is coming out to say this — I worked with him on the Jan. 6 committee — I know he’s saying this because he’s genuinely concerned about the threat of Trump to rule of law.”
Murphy noted that Schiff, Lofgren, and Raskin all hold secure Democratic seats, so their stance isn’t influenced by personal political concerns like those of other battleground members.
“I’m well aware that nobody can make this decision but Joe Biden himself,” Murphy said. “But I’m hoping that the patriot in him — and the long-time politician who knows how to read polls — and the person who cares about the future of this country makes the right choice in this moment.”
Despite the increasing number of committee members urging Biden to reconsider, some key panel members remain supportive. The committee’s former chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), has consistently backed Biden.
"[R]egardless of who calls on the President to withdraw, as long as the majority of us continue to support Biden, we will win this in November!” Thompson posted Wednesday on X. “Stay focused, my fellow Democrats.”
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), a member of House leadership, has previously shown support for Biden but has been quiet on the matter recently.
The Biden campaign maintains that he will not step aside.
“While the majority of the caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the president and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently,” Biden campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg stated. The campaign also highlighted Biden's strong backing from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
“They spent months immersed in the evidence of Trump’s scheme to overturn the election and fully understand that he considers himself and his allies above the law,” said a source closely involved with the committee members, speaking anonymously about the evolving conversations. “These members have also been singled out for retribution in a second Trump term. They wouldn’t have taken these actions lightly, but no one knows better what’s at stake this fall.”
Schiff, who led the first impeachment effort against Trump in 2019 after Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate political rivals, sparked this week’s trend with a statement declaring “a second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy.”
News of Raskin’s call for Biden to rethink his candidacy surfaced Thursday with the public release of a July 6 letter he sent to the president, obtained by POLITICO. Raskin stopped short of outright calling for Biden to drop out but emphasized that doing so would not be shameful given the high stakes of the upcoming election.
“We have an overriding obligation to defeat the forces of resurgent monarchy and oppression,” Raskin wrote.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
Throughout this week, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) — three of the Jan. 6 panel’s seven Democrats — publicly called on Biden to reevaluate his candidacy due to the party's waning confidence in his ability to prevent another Trump presidency. Their appeals reflect their findings from their work on the select committee.
“As a member of the [Jan. 6 committee], I know, perhaps as well as anyone, how unsuitable Donald Trump is to be president,” Lofgren stated in a letter to Biden released Friday. “He remains as grave a threat to the Constitutional order and rule of law as he was on January 6, 2021.”
The calls from those who studied Trump's attempts to overturn the election carry more significance than those from general Democratic ranks.
In an MSNBC appearance following her letter's release, Lofgren emphasized: “I think it’s telling that members of the January 6 committee — myself, Adam Schiff [and] Jamie Raskin — have all suggested that he step aside and that we get another candidate who can beat Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a threat to America. ...He must not be elected.”
Schiff, Lofgren, and Raskin are notable allies of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who recently warned Biden that grumblings among Democrats would likely increase. They spent 18 months collecting evidence and trying to convince the public about the dangers of a Trump presidency. The select committee interviewed hundreds of witnesses and held highly-publicized hearings showing Trump as attempting to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and inciting violence at the Capitol when other tactics failed.
“It’s really time for the party to nominate a new leader to carry on the torch as we move forward in this battle that is consequential for the future of this country,” said former Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), also a Jan. 6 committee member, in an interview. “The fact that Adam Schiff is coming out to say this — I worked with him on the Jan. 6 committee — I know he’s saying this because he’s genuinely concerned about the threat of Trump to rule of law.”
Murphy noted that Schiff, Lofgren, and Raskin all hold secure Democratic seats, so their stance isn’t influenced by personal political concerns like those of other battleground members.
“I’m well aware that nobody can make this decision but Joe Biden himself,” Murphy said. “But I’m hoping that the patriot in him — and the long-time politician who knows how to read polls — and the person who cares about the future of this country makes the right choice in this moment.”
Despite the increasing number of committee members urging Biden to reconsider, some key panel members remain supportive. The committee’s former chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), has consistently backed Biden.
"[R]egardless of who calls on the President to withdraw, as long as the majority of us continue to support Biden, we will win this in November!” Thompson posted Wednesday on X. “Stay focused, my fellow Democrats.”
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), a member of House leadership, has previously shown support for Biden but has been quiet on the matter recently.
The Biden campaign maintains that he will not step aside.
“While the majority of the caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the president and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently,” Biden campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg stated. The campaign also highlighted Biden's strong backing from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
“They spent months immersed in the evidence of Trump’s scheme to overturn the election and fully understand that he considers himself and his allies above the law,” said a source closely involved with the committee members, speaking anonymously about the evolving conversations. “These members have also been singled out for retribution in a second Trump term. They wouldn’t have taken these actions lightly, but no one knows better what’s at stake this fall.”
Schiff, who led the first impeachment effort against Trump in 2019 after Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate political rivals, sparked this week’s trend with a statement declaring “a second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy.”
News of Raskin’s call for Biden to rethink his candidacy surfaced Thursday with the public release of a July 6 letter he sent to the president, obtained by POLITICO. Raskin stopped short of outright calling for Biden to drop out but emphasized that doing so would not be shameful given the high stakes of the upcoming election.
“We have an overriding obligation to defeat the forces of resurgent monarchy and oppression,” Raskin wrote.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
