Protesters call for southern IL Congressman Mike Bost’s resignation after riot in D.C.
Demonstrators lined the street across from Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost’s office in O’Fallon on Saturday afternoon, calling for his resignation due to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week.
Roughly 50 people protested in front of Bost’s office at 302 W. State St. They claimed he had “failed to uphold his oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution” when he voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which former Vice President Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump.
“We thought we should take a stand and do something in a peaceful way, especially after the violence we saw took place,” said Terry Chapman, a Democrat who helped organize the protest. “We want to let (Bost) know how we feel.”
Thousands of Trump supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 after a “Stop the Steal” rally, and hundreds broke into the building while House and Senate lawmakers were gathered to certify Electoral College votes.
Chapman said Bost’s votes to object to the certification of Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania played a part in causing the riotous insurrection, which resulted in five deaths and damage to the U.S. Capitol building and its contents.
“What you did was an affront to democracy and a slap in the face of the people you serve,” Chapman said, as if speaking directly to Bost.
Bost, R-Murphysboro, represents the 12th Congressional District of Illinois. The day after the insurrection, he released a statement that read:
“The deeply troubling scenes at the U.S. Capitol yesterday indicate the intense distrust that many Americans have towards the election process. If we have any hope of restoring that faith and healing the deep divisions in our country, our efforts must be rooted in constitutional principles and fair elections.”
On Jan. 6, Bost was among the 121 House members and six senators, all Republicans, who voted against accepting Electoral College votes from Arizona; and 138 House members and seven senators who voted against accepting Electoral College votes from Pennsylvania.
Ahead of the votes, Bost signed a statement along with 36 other Republican House members, saying they believed swing states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, had violated the U.S. Constitution in the way they conducted the Nov. 3 general election.
Bost’s support of the Electoral College challenge came in contrast to a statement he made in December: “At a time of great uncertainty for our country, it is vitally important that the American people have faith in our elections and trust the results.”
Trump supporters have argued that the president would have won re-election if not for widespread voter fraud, but judges ruling on dozens of court challenges across the United States found no evidence supporting those claims.
Demonstrators outside Bost’s office on Saturday carried signs that read, “Representative Bost Resign,” “Bye Bye Bost,” “Expel Bost” and “This Is What Democracy Looks Like.”
They included TracyAnne McSorley, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and volunteer with Indivisible Metro East, a local progressive group. Like Chapman, she was protesting Bost’s votes to overturn the election.
“He’s ignoring his constituents, “ she said. “And I think it’s really important we don’t have a seditious traitor in office representing us in O’Fallon.”
McSorley said the riot at the U.S. Capitol building made her “sick to her stomach” and reminded her of unrest she saw overseas while serving in the Air Force.
“Now, because of that, we’re seeing the repercussions leading up to the inauguration,” she said. “I’m just hoping that more of my fellow constituents in the 12th Congressional District will also rise up and say ‘enough of Mike Bost.’ It’s time for him to resign.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 6:03 PM.