Group wants Assemblyman Voepel expelled for comments on Capitol riot

California chapters of a group focused on national security are calling on the State Assembly to expel member Randy Voepel, R-Santee, for comments he made following the siege on the U.S. Capitol last week.

“This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny,” Voepel said in a San Diego Union-Tribune article that ran three days after the Capitol riot which left five people dead, including a San Diego woman. “Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear-in on January 20th,” Voepel said.

He later tweeted that he condemned violence and lawlessness.

The Truman National Security Project has sent a letter to the state Assembly calling for Voepel to be expelled for his earlier comments.

“These words are an explicit glorification of the insurrection and direct incitement of further violence,” the letter read. “Assemblymember Voepel is both an elected official and a veteran of the U.S. military. We believe that he has violated his sworn oath and must be held accountable.”

On Tuesday, Voepel he said his comments were misconstrued.

“What I meant by Lexington and Concord was, that was how it would be seen by some people,” he said, stressing that he was not glorifying the siege.

“The left has their crazies and the right has their crazies, and I don’t support either one,” Voepel said. “I support the First Amendment and the ability to protest, as long as you keep it peaceful.”

He also said he saw the actions of Trump supporters at the Capitol last week as disgraceful.

Voepel, 70, was elected to the Santee City Council in 1996 and served as mayor from 2000 until 2016, when he was elected to represented the 71st state Assembly District.

The Assembly district covers much of the San Diego’s East County and backcountry, including El Cajon, Ramona, Lakeside, Alpine, Santee and Spring Valley. The district also covers a mountainous portion of Riverside County, including Idyllwild, Mountain Center and Valle Vista.

The Truman National Security Project describes itself on its website as a diverse group of more than 1,700 post-9/11 veterans, front-line civilians, policy experts and political professionals committed to “shaping and advocating for tough, smart national security solutions.”

The letter to the Assembly was signed by 37 people, including 19 from the organization’s San Diego chapter.

Shawn VanDiver, a U.S. Navy veteran and founder of the San Diego chapter, said he saw Voepel’s comments as a violation of the oaths he took in the military and in political office to protect the country.

“We believe as national security experts that if we do not answer these sort of things, they’re going to continue to happen,” he said. “It’s stomping on our flag and stomping on our service.”

VanDiver said the Colorado chapter of the Truman National Security Project has called for the removal of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who had tweeted before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, “Today is 1776.”

Carlsbad City Councilwoman Cori Schumacher also signed the letter calling for Voepel to be expelled. She said his comment about “crazies” on both side was a false equivalence. He instead should have unequivocally and specifically condemned the actions at the U.S. Capitol, she said.

VanDiver said the last time California representatives were expelled from office was in 1904, when four state Senators were removed for taking bribes.

Expelling an Assembly member would require support from two-thirds of the representatives, he said.

On Monday, California Assembly members voted on a nonbinding resolution calling for President Donald Trump to resign. The vote fell along party lines, with 51 Democrats in support and six Republicans voting against the resolution.

Voepel was one of 11 Assembly members who was absent from the vote.