NC superintendent candidate Morrow called for mass arrests, enacting Insurrection Act in 2021 video

The Republican nominee for North Carolina superintendent called for mass arrests and suggested that former President Donald Trump activate the military to stay in power, in a now-deleted video posted after the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.

Michele Morrow, who is seeking the state’s top public education job, made the comments in a Facebook livestream first reported by CNN on Friday and archived by Say No To Extremists, a Carolina-based anti-Morrow group.

Morrow expressed ardent support for Trump in the video, calling for arrests of those who helped certify the 2020 presidential election. And she suggested that if those efforts fail, Trump should turn to the military to help him stay in office.

“And if the police won’t do it and the Department of Justice won’t do it, then he will have to enact the Insurrection Act,” Morrow said in the video. “In which case the Insurrection Act completely puts the Constitution to the side and says, now the military rules all.”

She added that “as long as (Trump) invokes the Insurrection Act before the inauguration, then he’s going to be re-inaugurated. He’s going to be put back in.”

According to public footage reviewed by CNN, Morrow was at the Capitol as the Jan. 6 riot occurred. There is no evidence that she entered the building, and she has not been charged with any crimes stemming from the events of the day.

In the livestream, she said she does “not promote breaking and entry” or “vandalism.” In an interview with the Charlotte Observer days after the riot, she said she was “frustrated and disgusted.”

Morrow’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the video Monday. She declined to speak on the matter to CNN.

“What North Carolina voters are concerned about is the education of our children,” Morrow said in a comment to the network.

Morrow, a registered nurse, activist and former school board candidate, has drawn prior scrutiny for her online activity. She wrote a series of posts on social media between 2019 and 2021 suggesting that former President Barack Obama be executed on live television, among other comments about national Democrats.

She defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in a shocking upset earlier this year, and will face Democrat Mo Green on the ballot in November.

In a statement Monday, Green said Morrow’s comments set “a dangerous example” for students.

“The State Superintendent of Public Instruction leads the education of more than 1.3 million children in North Carolina; Michele Morrow does not have the experience or the temperament to run North Carolina’s public schools,” Green said.

“Her dangerous brand of political violence will harm our schools, our children and hurt our state’s economy. How can someone who called to set the United States Constitution aside swear an oath and be trusted to uphold that constitution if elected?”

This story was originally published by NC Newsline