Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., encouraged then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to convince former President Donald Trump to invoke martial law to overturn his election loss, according to messages obtained by Talking Points Memo.
Most of the thousands of text messages, which were turned over by Meadows the House Jan. 6 committee, were not previously reported. The text messages included conversations Meadows had with at least 34 Republican lawmakers discussing conspiracy theories and plans for overturning the election.
"Mark, in seeing what's happening so quickly, and reading about the Dominion law suits attempting to stop any meaningful investigation we are at a point of � no return � in saving our Republic!!" Norman wrote in a message dated Jan. 17. "Our LAST HOPE is invoking Marshall Law!! PLEASE URGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO."
National security expert Tom Nichols implored readers to take the texts seriously.
"Do not shrug this off," Nichols tweeted. "A member of the Congress of the United States wanted the outgoing president to invoke martial law, and use the arms of the United States military to prevent the new president from taking office. Sedition."
He also mocked the way Nichols spelled martial law, adding, "It's bad enough to be a seditionist and an enemy of the constitution. But you'd think that a guy who wants a coup might at least be able to spell 'martial.'"
Some observers criticized Norman's misspelling of martial while others questioned why members of Congress, who were involved in plotting to overturn the election, haven't faced any consequences.
"The GOP congressman who called for 'Marshall Law!!' in a text to Meadows obviously must have thought he was participating in a coo, not a coup, and so is clearly off the hook," conservative attorney George Conway wrote.
National security and legal analyst Marcy Wheeler suggested that the texts could land Norman in legal jeopardy.
"It's texts like this one, from Ralph Norman, espousing Martial Law, that could drive this," Wheeler tweeted. "Is such a text protected by Speech and Debate? Dunno, probably not. If not, this is the kind of thing that DOJ used for prosecution against others."
Since the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, some of whom were armed, other members of Congress have also made comments about the insurrection, triggering outrage.
Most recently, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she would have "won" the attack on Congress had she been the ringleader at a dinner hosted by the New York Young Republican Club.
Her comments received backlash with one CNN analyst even suggesting the Georgia Republican "could talk herself into a grand jury".
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow had a similar reaction to Norman's text messages, begging for Trump to declare martial law even after he had incited violence at the Capitol.
"And marveling about the seditious radicalism of a member of congress, somebody wants to suspend the Constitution and keep the guy in power by force using military force to do it — I mean marveling at some member of Congress being that far out there, I mean, that's something we get to do from time to time," Maddow said. "But right now, knowing this is what he was advocating. To take power by force. Knowing he was advocating that is one thing. Knowing he and his party are going back to Congress as the new majority party for next year, that feels like something different. Because what are they going to do with the real power when they have it?"
