ACLU raises concerns about plans to remove Kettle from Senate

February 20, 2018 6:49 pm

By John Krinjak

Email: jkrinjak@abc6.com

Twitter: @johnkrinjakABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The ACLU is raising concerns about plans by Rhode Island Senate leadership to remove Sen. Nicholas Kettle–if he doesn’t resign himself.

Senate President Ruggerio says the Senate will use its constitutional power to throw him overboard.

Within hours of Senator Kettle being charged on Friday with video voyeurism and extortion, Ruggerio called on Kettle to resign.

He’s now taking that one step further, adding that if Kettle refuses to step down, adding that if Kettle refuses to step down, the Senate will take action to expel him.

Under the state Constitution the Senate can expel members with a two-thirds majority, though it hasn’t done so in modern history.

But Rhode Island ACLU executive director Stephen Brown says rushing to use that power to take out someone who was elected by voters could be a slippery slope.

"We certainly understand the seriousness of the charges that have been leveled against senator kettle but the senate also needs to consider what are the standards it’s going to set for the future in considering whether to expel somebody. Without standards in place that means the process can be used solely for political or partisan purposes. Whatever the senate does in this instance will reverberate for many, many years," said Brown.

Brown adds that he feels there needs to be some sort of due process in the Senate for members facing accusations.

Meanwhile members of Kettle’s own party are supporting the idea of removing him, with Senate minority leader Dennis Algiere saying he will work with Ruggerio to do that, if Kettle doesn’t step down.