HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Sen. Art Haywood (D-4) yesterday announced his intent to file an ethics complaint against Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) for allegedly attempting to discredit the 2020 presidential election results.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), an organization dedicated to investigating government officials who it believes sacrifices the common good for personal gain, joined Sen. Haywood for the announcement.
“The January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol was the culmination of an unprecedented and concerted effort to prevent the peaceful transition of power through illegal and violent means,” said Brie Sparkman, Policy Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “CREW applauds Senator Haywood for introducing this ethics complaint against Senator Mastriano for his conduct leading up to and on January 6th. It is critical for not just the people of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but also for democracy, that an investigation into Senator Mastriano’s conduct is initiated, and this ethics complaint will ensure just that. Only by holding insurrectionists accountable can we hope to prevent future attacks on the U.S. Capitol and in state capitals like Harrisburg. Accountability has always been a key defining feature of democracy, and it is now more crucial than ever.”
Sen. Haywood alleges that Sen Mastriano:
- Used the prominence and reputation of The Pennsylvania Senate and his office as a State Senator to conduct a hearing at which advisors of the Former President gave unsworn testimony. This testimony has since been proven false.
- Organized and appeared in various rallies with state and federal officials to disseminate false information to promote the idea that the 2020 presidential vote was illegitimate and should be overturned.
- Ahead of Jan. 6, 2021, personally led a board-based effort to coerce, pressure, and intimidate government officials at all levels to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania.
- Participated in the violent assembly of individuals on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. This assembly, incited by Former President Trump, breached police barricades in violation of the law and resulted in the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building with the expressed purpose of preventing the counting and certification of the Electoral College Vote.
"All three branches of the federal government have referred to the events of January 6, 2021, as an ‘insurrection’ and the participants as ‘insurrectionists,’ including bipartisan majorities of both Houses of Congress, President Biden, the Department of Justice, and more than a dozen federal courts,” said Sen. Haywood.
“I have complete faith in the ethics committee, once formed, to conduct a full investigation into this matter. I trust that the evidence gathered will lead them to a just and appropriate course of action.”
Sen. Mastriano responded to the announcement with the following statement:
"One would think that the long time Senator for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania would start out the New Year by helping people and improving quality of life in his own district which is suffering from record crime rates and an epidemic drug overdose that is cutting down so many of his constituents in the prime of their lives.
“Sadly, the Senator is focused on a partisan PR stunt. What is truly unethical is a Senator using his bully pulpit to attack the freedom of speech of those he disagrees with. The Senator should tread carefully with this new precedent. Some could construe that his inflammatory anti-law enforcement rhetoric and actions led to the deadly and destructive riots across our commonwealth during the Summer of 2020.
“The Senator further embarrassed himself by justifying his specious ethics complaint with a report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW is a well-documented far left activist organization founded by a Democrat operative and uses a DNC vendor (Act Blue) to solicit donations from left-wing donors.
“I do not need a lecture on the U.S. Constitution. I volunteered to defend it while serving our nation for over 30 years as an officer in the U.S. Army.
“This stunt will not intimidate or silence me.”