Is Andy Harris a Benedict Arnold? He attended a White House meeting on December 21, 2020, at which a legal theory was promoted supporting the ludicrous concept that the Vice President can single-handedly reject slates of electors. The plan was to set aside Joe Biden’s seven million vote plurality win and keep Donald Trump in the White House. President Trump adopted the legal theory, but Mike Pence rejected it. That rejection almost cost Pence his life on January 6.
According to testimony that the House Select Committee received regarding the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a plan to “encourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6.”
What was Harris’ role at the meeting? Did President Trump tell Harris and the other 10 Republican Congresspeople at the meeting (including then-Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Green) that armed militia men would storm the Capitol to ensure that the electoral college vote was never certified? Did Harris volunteer to help make the assault on the Capitol successful? First District voters deserve to know the answers to these and other questions.
Andy is not talking, perhaps with good reason in that sedition is a felony. Benedict Arnold got shot for it. It appears that Harris has concluded that his constituents do not think the events of January 6 were important or, in some cases, were justified. I hope that enough First District voters will disagree to impact the 2022 election.
Heather Mizeur won the Democratic primary and will face Harris in November. Many pundits suggest that she cannot win. They suggest the district is just too conservative for a domestic policy expert to win. These pundits may be right, but could Harris’ complicity in the January 6 insurrection make a difference? I hope it can.
Even hard-core conservatives should now understand that a coup attempt occurred on January 6. That knowledge should prompt them to reassess Mr. Harris. Even if they oppose Democratic policies and hate Joe Biden, they should consider whether they want to reward Andy Harris with another term in Congress. Here’s how Heather put it: “I’m running against Andy Harris because he is a traitor, and I am a patriot.”
A few Spy readers will respond to this column by telling me that I am crazy. Maybe. But evidence is growing that the January 6 hearings are making a difference. Politico reports that a New York Times/Sienna College poll showed that growing numbers of Republicans would prefer someone other than Trump to be their standard bearer in 2024. The same article reports that a series of recent focus groups showed an erosion in support for Trump.
Last week I discussed Trump with a conservative friend. The talk gave me hope. The friend expressed chagrin that Harris attended the December 21st meeting. “Why couldn’t he just focus on representing us?” was the comment. The friend also wanted to know why Harris does not feel obligated to tell his constituents his role in a meeting of conspirators.
My friend smells a rat. When I commented that “at least he wasn’t giving Proud Boys tours of the Capitol on January 5,” my friend sighed and asked me to give him a break. “He broke his oath of office,” my friend told me, “If he schemed to violate the Constitution, he wasn’t protecting it, and he has to go.”
It is now too late for First District Republicans to replace Harris as their candidate for Congress. The only alternative is to vote for Ms. Mizeur. Will First District Republicans do that? If the election were held today, they would not. Mizeur would lose. But what if we learn that Harris was more than just a cheerleader for Trump in the days preceding January 6? That could make a difference.
So do not tell me Mizeur cannot win. And do not tell me that Handgun Harris deserves another term in Congress. He does not. He did a poor job representing the district before January 6. His actions since then are the icing on the cake.
Harris needs to come clean. He needs to tell us why he was at the December 21 meeting, what other conversations he had with Trump and other co-conspirators leading up to January 6, and he must condemn the Trump coup.
And, just in case Andy decides to lie about what he did, or to continue his stonewalling, maybe Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a member of the January 6 Committee, can lend a hand. The January 6 Committee must explore fully the actions of the 10 Republican Congresspeople and report their findings to the public and, if the facts merit it, to the Department of Justice.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, when the Constitution is not under attack, other subjects.
Al DiCenso says
Andy Harris is a traitor and a seditionist. He is a lap-dog of Trump’s and in no way deserves the vote of any thinking Republican (my category, BTW). The sooner the party gets rid of Trump and Trumpism, the better off the whole country will be for it. The radicalism we have experienced on both sides over the past ten or so years is tearing our country apart, and we must take all available steps to overcome it.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. We are on the same page.
Frank Carollo says
Amen!
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. Let me respond to your “Amen!” with my “Amen!”
Jim Franke says
In polls, before the 2014 Gubernatorial election, Heather Mizeur had 7% but got 21% in the vote against a Lieutenant Gov, an Attorney General, and 3 others. The LG and AG each outspent her 5 to 1. Don’t underestimate her.
John Dean says
Thank you for sharing that information–I was not aware of it. I am very impressed with her credentials. I think she would be a great Member of Congress.
Thanks for reading the piece.
Deborah Dawkins says
I am a supporter of Ms. Mizeur. Mr. Harris’s voters tend to see participation in the Insurrection as a feature not a felony.
John Dean says
Sadly, I think you are right about Harris supporters. I confess to admitting that I don’t understand. It’s amazing that we are not hearing more cries for Harris to resign or fully explain his actions.
JT Phelan says
Trump is the worst president in modern history. He violated his oath to this country, incited a violent mob to riot, and should be prosecuted.
Michael Pullen says
Radical. Extremist. Traitor. Seditionist.
What do you say, Dr. Harris?
Crickets….
Constance Pullen says
I agree. Andy Harris does not deserve to represent the first district. In addition to sedition he brings little to the first district. I remember seeing a map of monies brought into Maryland by congress per district. The first district received very little and yet our rural needs are high.
Jan Greenhawk says
The January 6 th Committee is the big sham here and you know it. The fact that you want to act like you are the righteous adult in the room along with Nancy Pelosi and Raskin is not just laughable, it’s pathetic. As for the “Trump Supporter,” you quoted, let me counter that there are Dems I have spoken to who think the 2020 election was rigged and want the system investigated and fixed. They want to know why Democrats in Congress have focused on chasing the treason phantom while denying the January 6 th defendants their constitutional rights and not doing ONE thing to actually help the people of this country. If your ploy and strategy to get elected is to try to claim that Andy Harris and anyone else who had questions about the elections are traitors, you’ve already lost. How about you at least pretend to care about the real issues people are dealing with; the economy, the decline of our public schools and the neutering of our police force at all levels. Based on the article, I know I won’t vote for you.
And please, don’t allude to the two RINOS on the Congressional Kangaroo Court. They, like you, are total frauds.
Do better, because right now this smells of desperation.
Jan Greenhawk says
And the “ you” I am referring to in the comment is Ms Mizeur, not the author. I will not be voting for Ms Mizeur.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading my piece. Obviously, we are on different pages. I have no idea on how to respond to your comments, so I won’t.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Oh Jan. There are no words.
Barbara Denton says
Jan Greenhawk is absolutely correct. The January 6 committee is pathetic and a tremendous waste of time and money. The 2 RINO Republicans on the committee will be out of office next year and good riddance. The January 6 incident is not an insurrection and the public knows it. What we want is equal justice under the law. This is not happening under Biden. We want our energy independence back. We want our schools to go back and teach the basics. We want politics, CRT, DEI and transgenderism left out of the curriculum. We want our children to learn true history and civics. We want when we go into a store for the clerk to be able to give us back the correct change because they know math. We do not want the teachers to practice mental health judgements on our children. If they think there is a problem call the parents into the conversation. All of these things along with Jan’s list are way more important than Andy’s opinion of the 2020 election. Which by the way he is correct.
Deirdre LaMotte says
No School, public or private, teach little children “sexual orientation”. This is put out there in
your media universe to get you riled. And should these be taught in high school or college , along with “gender identity”, they would teach ABOUT these things, which are part of the real world in which students
(and their parents, however ignorant and bigoted they may be) will lead their lives.
They also teach about ancient Roman history and Nazi Germany, but that does not turn students into
ancient Romans or members of the SS.
Actually, joining the Republican Party as it has devolve is a good lesson in Hitler’s fascism.
Barbara Denton says
Get your head out of the sand. The Biden Admin has tied the “free” breakfast and lunch program to teaching gender identity to 4 and 5 year olds and the curriculum gets progressively worse as the grade level rises. Also, I think you need to look in the mirror to find a fascist. Republicans are not fascists. Isn’t it funny how Democrats accuse Republicans of being everything they are. You are absolutely wrong and I urge you again to look in the mirror to find an ignorant and bigoted person.
Deirdre LaMotte says
You are wrong and seriously being misled
either by who you listen to or perhaps this is
who you are. Sorry but hate will get one no where, your pseudo patriotism is apparent
because it is all about fascist nomenclature,
not facts.. It is based on fear and fear will never win.
I’m sorry.
Bob Kopec says
Great piece Mr. Dean!!!
I support Heather all the way.
Unfortunately there are still too many Trump lap dogs out there (you know who you are) and are blind to facts.
There is much truth to the statement “If you tell a lie enough times, you will start to believe it yourself”.
Gun toting Andy has no place in the Congress in this country.
John Dean says
Thank you for your kind words and for your comments about Mr. Harris.
Michael Davis says
Mr Dean, Thank you for continuing to contribute good letters to the Talbot Spy. Mr. Harris is a traitor. None of the commentators from the other side can defend how his actions are not a violation of his oath to defend the Constitution.
Like you, I don’t understand Trumpers so it is difficult to communicate with them. I think they are members of a cult and some commentators here exhibit cult-like behavior by denying facts. I also believe that Mr. Harris is a member of that cult that worships Donald Trump or a cluster of people like Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, QAnon, etc. But we should not stop trying to communicate with them as cult members can drop out. Thanks for continuing to try.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece and for your kind words. I will continue to try to understand Trump’s followers and persuade them to reassess their support for an ex-president that I view as a traitor.
Robert Short says
Benedict Arnold was not shot but died from natural causes in England.
John Dean says
Thank you for pointing that out. I did not realize that when I wrote the piece and should have fact-checked that. My apologies.
Jim Moses CDR, USN (Ret.) says
Representative Harris was one of only twenty House “Republicans” (and no Democrats), who voted against the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act. The objective of the bill is to combat human trafficking; asked about the opposition, Representative Gaetz told The Hill the measure would serve as “a backdoor loophole for illegal immigration and amnesty.” Is this really how we want to be represented?
John Dean says
Thank you for your comment. The Eastern Shore deserves a representative that focuses on the issues impacting the people who live here. Harris is doing a great job representing Donald Trump and that’s about it.