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State Senator Amanda Chase Faces Censure Resolution

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Lawmakers in the General Assembly are considering a censure of a Republican senator who spoke at the rally that led to the attack on the Capitol.

Senators are allowed to speak on just about anything when they ask for a point of personal privilege. So when Republican Senator Amanda Chase of Chesterfield took the floor Thursday for her point of personal privilege, she repeated baseless allegations about election fraud and defended her call to overturn the election.

"Repeating lies and conspiracy theories does not make them true," responded Senator Adam Ebbin of Alexandria. Ebbin is a Democrat who has introduced a resolution to censure Chase.  "The reason some voters’ confidence has been impacted is because some so-called leaders spew misinformation, fake news and lies. Leadership requires truth."

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw said Chase isn't interested in the truth. "Quite frankly it would have been a little bit better and more understandable if the senior senator from Chesterfield had started out by saying 'Once upon a time' because that's what it was. It was a fairy tale."

Republican Senate Leader Tommy Norment said he hopes lawmakers can move on to something else. "While I abhor history being revised, I'm hopeful that we'll focus on Virginia issues."

The resolution censuring Chase will be considered in a committee next week.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Michael Pope is an author and journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria.