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I am still trying to grasp the horror of what happened in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Five people died, including a Capitol policeman who was bludgeoned to death. Our Capitol was invaded for the first time since the War of 1812. That time it was the British in time of war. This time it was by Donald Trump.

Trump created and nurtured his private army. He summoned them to Washington. His stated purpose was to disenfranchise enough voters and electoral college votes to steal the election. The bottom line is he tried to violently overthrow the government of the United States. His words speak for themselves.

Jim Hagedorn aided and abetted this scheme. Rep. Hagedorn voted to disenfranchise the voters of Arizona and Pennsylvania based on fantasies invented by Trump to justify his insurrection. The election votes have been counted and recounted and challenged in court. All with the same result. The 2020 vote was one of the most secure in history, and Trump’s lies of election fraud have been refuted time and again. Joe Biden won the presidency of the United States. 

Rep. Hagedorn’s statement justifying his vote was shameful. He tried to squirm out of his responsibility and complicity by blaming Democrats for being “partisan” for holding Trump responsible for his treachery. This is pathetic. Hagedorn’s votes to overthrow the will of voters is a disgrace to our country, state and district.

Rep. Hagedorn’s disregard for the Constitution and these votes require him to do the honorable thing and resign. There are calls in Wisconsin for Sen. Ron Johnson and two representatives to also resign. The Republican Party will survive. They are beginning the painful process of confronting reality by separating the grain from the chaff.

Joe Pacovsky

Hayward