23 SU instructors join open letter calling for Trump’s removal from office
The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.
Twenty-three Syracuse University instructors are among more than 2,000 political scientists from across the country who’ve signed an open letter calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office.
Two doctoral candidates, one postdoctoral fellow and 19 professors from SU have signed the letter as of 4 p.m. Friday, calling for Trump to be removed through the impeachment process or by invoking the 25th Amendment. The call comes after an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, which Trump incited.
The signatories of the letter claim that Trump’s actions “threaten American democracy.” The group cites the president’s baseless claims that the November election was stolen and that he has encouraged state legislatures to ignore their states’ votes and change their Electoral College delegates in his favor.
They also cite Trump’s recent phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump pressured Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” after the state certified its election results in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
“Our profession seeks to understand politics, not engage in it, but we share a commitment to democratic values,” the letter reads. “The President’s actions show he is unwilling or unable to fulfill his oath to protect and defend the Constitution.”
The signatories from SU are listed below:
Shana Gadarian
Associate Professor and Chair, Political Science
Seth Jolly
Associate Professor, Political Science
Robert Shaffer
Postdoctoral Associate, Political Science
Steven White
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Maraam A. Dwidar
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Stuart Thorson
Professor Emeritus, Political Science
Chris Faricy
Associate Professor, Political Science
Mark Rupert
Professor, Political Science
Ryan D. Griffiths
Associate Professor, Political Science
Yael Zeira
Associate Professor, Political Science
Brian D. Taylor
Professor, Political Science
Daniel McDowell
Associate Professor, Political Science
Thomas M. Keck
Professor, Political Science
Erin Hern
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Margaret Susan Thompson
Professor, Political Science and History
Colleen Dougherty Burton
Ph.D Candidate, Political Science
Jenn M. Jackson
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Emily Thorson
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Sarah Pralle
Associate Professor, Political Science
Nathan Carrington
Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science
Renée de Nevers
Associate Professor, Public Administration and International Affairs
Sarah Pralle
Associate Professor, Political Science
Claire Sigsworth
Ph.D Candidate, Political Science