Politics
Rep. Ken Buck testifies in trial to disqualify Trump from 2024 Colorado ballot
By Jake Beardslee · November 2, 2023
In brief…
- Buck described chaos as Capitol riots began, initially thought just small protest
- Trump lawyers called Buck to criticize Jan. 6 committee report lacking GOP perspective
- Plaintiffs' lawyer argued Buck's testimony did little to impugn the report
On Thursday, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) testified in a case attempting to bar former President Trump from appearing on the 2024 Colorado ballot. The plaintiffs argue Trump’s speech and actions before and during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots violated the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding federal office.
Buck described the chaos as the riots began, saying “A police officer came to the microphone and said that tear gas had been dispersed. And we were advised that there were gas masks under our seats, and we should deploy those gas masks.” Buck said he initially thought it was just a small protest, but upon returning to his office and seeing the riots on TV, thought “Oh my goodness, there are a lot of people out there.”
Trump’s attorneys called Buck to criticize the House Jan. 6 committee’s report, a key piece of evidence for the plaintiffs. Buck revealed McCarthy denied his request to join the committee, leaving only Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger as Republicans. Buck argued the report was biased and incomplete, as it lacked “another side” with Republicans challenging the conclusions.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Sean Grimsley told Buck his testimony did little, saying “I think that President Trump’s lawyers brought you in here to impugn the integrity and the reliability of this report.”
Buck revealed on Wednesday that he has decided not to seek another term in office and will retire when his current term expires.