A Right-Wing Think Tank Has a Plan to Prevent Democrats From Being Seated in Congress

The influential Center for Renewing America says that "neo-Marxist progressives and anti-Western Muslims" can't sincerely swear to protect the Constitution--and shouldn't be allowed to assume office. With polls indicating that the Democrats are poised to win big in the midterm elections, the Trump administration is already attempting to mount legal challenges in certain races and cast doubt on the results. A post published last month by the Center for Renewing America, an influential right-wing think tank, suggests a more radical strategy, asserting that a number of Democrats could be prevented from holding office even if they win their elections. The post, titled, "Can Congress Seat a Member-Elect Who Vows to Destroy our Constitution?" The post, in effect, claims that Muslim and progressive candidates don't have to be legally accepted into their elected positions. "This is another attempt to contort and twist basic norms that have never been used this way for their own partisan purposes," says Richard Pildes, a professor at New York University's School of Law.