OPINION | BRENDA BLAGG: Republican committee ignores reality in declaration over "discourse" of Jan. 6

No excuse for party’s embrace of Jan. 6 Capitol invasion

There is really no excuse for the Republican National Committee's description of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

These "ordinary citizens" were the rioters who broke through the windows and doors at the seat of the U.S. government, some armed and plainly intent upon stopping the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected president.

They're the ones who erected a gallows on the Capitol lawn and chanted "hang Mike Pence," the vice president who refused to exercise a power he did not believe he had to ignore the votes of the rightfully elected Electoral College.

Some of this number of "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse" roamed the halls of the Capitol searching for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and others they threatened to kill.

Others among them turned their weapons on Capitol Police in actions that have been and are continuing to be prosecuted for the criminal acts they were.

Yet, last week, the Republican National Committee, or its resolutions committee, by unanimous voice vote adopted a resolution censuring two Republican members of the U.S. Congress, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Their sin against the party?

Cheney and Kinzinger serve on the House committee trying to get to the bottom of what happened on Jan. 6 and to keep it from happening again.

It is in that censure resolution that the Republicans specifically asserted that Cheney and Kinzinger "are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

The pair, appointed by Speaker Pelosi to serve on the panel, are accused by the Republicans' resolution committee of "utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes."

Consequently, the Republicans voted to censure Cheney and Kinzinger and agreed to cease any and all support of them as members of the Republican Party.

Mind you, there are plenty of people who consider the positions Cheney and Kinzinger have taken to have been courageous in light of what were inevitable political consequences for this pair of Republicans, who have also been strong critics of former President Donald Trump.

Cheney and Kinzinger and the others on the House panel are digging for the truth of that day.

Meanwhile, the Republican National Party will apparently punish these truth seekers, with the primary goal of reclaiming control of the House, Senate and, eventually, the White House.

One of the clauses in the censure resolution talked about Cheney and Kinzinger having demonstrated "that they support Democrat efforts to destroy President Trump more than they support winning back a Republican majority in 2022."

Other clauses suggest other ways the two have strayed from Republican goals, but by far the most controversial of the declarations in the censure resolution was that characterization of the Jan. 6 riots as "legitimate political discourse."

The action has rightfully gotten pushback from some Republicans, including several U.S. senators and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the RNC was attempting to "legitimize" the violence that occurred at the Capitol. Hutchinson similarly said the resolution "undermines respect for the rule of law."

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said in a tweet that "shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol."

Michael Steele, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former RNC chairman, called the action "beyond despicable" and said it was a capitulation to the whims of Trump.

Surely, there are many more of like mind who will speak out in the coming days.

This resolution went too far. The party may have a right to do what it pleases when it comes to censuring candidates. It shouldn't twist the truth in the process.

For the record, Cheney is seeking re-election and has drawn a Trump-backed primary challenger in her Wyoming race.

Kinzinger is not running again. He used the RNC censure vote against them to declare that the resolution should mark a turning point for Republicans.

Every Republican, he said, should be asked point blank if they agree with the RNC's censure resolution or not.

He's absolutely right. American voters need to know that answer before they go to the polls again.

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