See below for the latest from Sen. John Bell (D-Loudoun/Prince William County), regarding his resolution to censure Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield County) for “the inflammatory statements and actions of Senator Amanda F. Chase before, during, and after the events that led to the insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, constitute a failure to uphold her oath of office and conduct unbecoming of a Senator.” Also, see here for how the discussion went yesterday, including Chase’s “non-apology,” and responses by Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield/Richmond), Sen. David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County, Franklin County, Salem City, etc.) and Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax/Prince William County).
When Senator Chase told me she wanted to apologize for her mistakes on the Senate floor, I was willing to take the opportunity to accept her apology and put this unfortunate business behind us. I believe in second chances, and that the most important thing is to ensure that the whole Senate is united in condemning violence and insurrection. Unfortunately, there was bipartisan agreement that Senator Chase’s apology on Friday was not an apology at all. Rather than owning up to her mistakes and taking responsibility, she lied about what she had said, and even maligned a good reporter whose only crime was reporting Senator Chase’s words accurately. Senator Chase is clearly not sorry for supporting the insurrection, and we need to send a strong message that our elected officials need to be better than this. My resolution to censure Senator Amanda Chase will be going forward next week.
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