Republicans on Friday condemned U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger for joining Congress into the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and Donald Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, saying the probe is An attack on “legitimate political discourse”.

Cheney and Kinsinger were the only Republicans on the House select committee on Jan. 6. The panel is investigating who — including those in Trump’s circle — played any role in planning or facilitating the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812.

The resolution condemning Cheney and Kinsinger, passed at the Republican National Committee meeting in Salt Lake City, accused them of “participating in the Democratic-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engage in legitimate political discourse.”

That day, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, smashed windows, attacked police and left Trump after a fiery speech repeating his false claim that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud. Lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence ran for their lives. .

Friday’s vote was markedly different in tone from the RNC statement on the day of the attack, when it said “these scenes of violence we are witnessing do not represent an act of patriotism, but an attack on our country and its founding principles.”

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Friday’s resolution was in response to a Jan. 6 committee investigation that had subpoenaed a string of politicians and Trump White House aides in an attempt to implicate them in the attacks leading to the attack. roles together.

“Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger have crossed the line. They have chosen to join Nancy Pelosi in the Democratic-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engage in legitimate political speech that has nothing to do with Capitol violence,” she said. She said she “denounced the violence on both sides of the aisle”.

The resolution was passed by voice vote when 168 RNC members gathered for the winter meeting. According to reporters who attended the meeting, the vote was overwhelming, with a minority of no.

Cheney and Kinsinger, who voted to impeach Trump on sedition charges, joined seven Democrats on a panel investigating the attack.

The resolution said Cheney and Kinsinger undermined Republican efforts to regain a congressional majority.

The measure said the RNC would “immediately cease any and all support for them as party members” but did not require them to step down as originally proposed. The committee uses some of its funds to help support Republican candidates’ campaigns.

Trump has maintained a strong grip on his party as the Nov. 8 congressional midterm elections loom, and he has been at war with Republicans who oppose him. Republicans are trying to wrest control of the House and Senate from Democrats under President Joe Biden.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times