Top Republicans mark Jan. 6 with silence, deflection

2 years ago 329

NEW YORK – Oh, however things person changed.

Just a twelvemonth ago, galore Republicans joined Democrats successful reacting with fearfulness to the Capitol insurrection, denouncing some the unit perpetrated by the rioters and the relation played by erstwhile President Donald Trump successful stoking the outrage that fueled their actions with lies astir a “stolen” election.

But connected the day of the attack, apical Republicans were acold much muted. Some acknowledged the panic of the time but rapidly pivoted to bashing Democrats. Many avoided observances planned astatine the Capitol. And inactive others didn't accidental thing astatine all.

It's each portion of the governmental calculus successful a enactment successful which the erstwhile president remains precise overmuch successful charge.

MISSING IN ACTION

The party's apical legislature leaders were missing from Thursday's commemoration events astatine the Capitol. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not marque an quality oregon contented a statement. Republican Senate person Mitch McConnell, who delivered 1 of the sharpest denunciations of Trump aft the attack, was successful Atlanta for the ceremonial of erstwhile Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Indeed, during a infinitesimal of soundlessness held successful grant of instrumentality enforcement officers, lone 2 Republicans were contiguous successful the House chamber: Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who has go a pariah successful her enactment implicit her disapproval of Trump’s actions, and her father, erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney.

In a statement, McConnell called Jan. 6 “a acheronian time for Congress and our country” aft “the spot of the archetypal subdivision of our national authorities was stormed by criminals who brutalized constabulary officers and utilized unit to effort to halt Congress from doing its job.”

But helium besides criticized Democrats for what helium said was their politicization of the attack. “It has been stunning to spot immoderate Washington Democrats effort to exploit this day to beforehand partisan argumentation goals that agelong predated this event," helium said.

It was a notable displacement from the comments helium had made past twelvemonth aft the Senate voted against Trump's impeachment.

“There’s nary question — nary — that President Trump is practically and morally liable for provoking the events of the day. No question astir it,” helium said then, calling it “a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty.”

THEN AND NOW

Like McConnell, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a person and state of the erstwhile president, was wide successful his denunciation of Trump instantly pursuing the Jan. 6 attack.

“All I tin accidental is number maine out. Enough is enough,” he'd said then.

On Thursday, however, Graham, who remains adjacent to Trump, marked the juncture with a premix of daze and partisan attacks.

“I inactive cannot judge that a mob was capable to instrumentality implicit the United States Capitol during specified a pivotal infinitesimal — certifying a statesmanlike election. It would person been truthful casual for terrorists to footwear strap onto this protestation and wreak adjacent further demolition connected the U.S. Capitol," helium wrote.

Still, helium pivoted to politics, characterizing the speeches by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris astatine the Capitol arsenic an “effort to resurrect a failed presidency much than marking the day of a acheronian time successful American history.”

“Their brazen attempts to usage January 6 to enactment extremist predetermination betterment and changing the rules of the Senate to execute this extremity volition not succeed,” helium wrote.

POLITICS FIRST

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered a imaginable 2024 statesmanlike candidate, was besides speedy to pounce. Speaking to reporters successful Florida connected Thursday greeting astir the aforesaid clip Biden was addressing the nation, DeSantis slammed Democrats and the media for making truthful overmuch hay of the event.

“This is their Christmas, January 6th,” helium said. “They are going to instrumentality this and beverage this for thing they could to effort to beryllium capable to smear anyone who ever supported Donald Trump."

He lashed retired astatine those who person compared the gravity of what happened connected Jan. 6 to the Sept. 11, 2001, panic attacks and said astir Florida residents person different issues connected their minds.

“I deliberation it’s going to extremity up being conscionable a politicized Charlie Foxtrot today," helium said, utilizing subject slang for a chaotic situation. "I deliberation it’s going to beryllium nauseating, rather frankly.”

NO COMMENT

Other imaginable 2024 candidates, meanwhile, stayed conspicuously silent, underscoring the analyzable calculus they look successful a enactment successful which Trump remains precise overmuch successful charge, with the enactment of wide swaths of the primary-voting electorate.

Former Vice President Mike Pence — who fled for his beingness connected Jan. 6 arsenic rioters broke into the Capitol, chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” — did not not merchandise a connection marking the occasion.

Pence has said that helium and the erstwhile president volition apt ne'er “see oculus to eye” connected the events of Jan. 6 and has defended his relation that time successful rejecting Trump's demands that helium overturn the predetermination results — thing helium did not person the powerfulness to do. At the aforesaid time, helium has accused the media of reporting connected the onslaught to “demean” Trump's supporters and to “distract from the Biden administration’s failed agenda,” arsenic helium said connected Fox News successful October.

Also saying thing were erstwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been laying the groundwork for a imaginable 2024 run by highlighting the Trump administration's successes, and erstwhile Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who recovered herself connected the incorrect broadside of the party's basal erstwhile she criticized Trump instantly aft the insurrection. She has since said that she volition not tally for the GOP information if Trump chooses to determination guardant with the comeback run he's been teasing.

COUNTERPROGRAMMING

While Trump canceled the day quality league he'd been readying successful Florida for Thursday, respective of his astir ardent followers scheduled their ain counterprogramming.

“We’re ashamed of nothing,” said GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida during an quality with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene connected a podcast hosted by erstwhile Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who has been indicted for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection. “We’re arrogant of the enactment that we did connected Jan. 6 to marque morganatic arguments astir predetermination integrity."

Greene slammed Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, different imaginable 2024 contender, for having characterized the day arsenic an lawsuit marking “a convulsive violent onslaught connected the Capitol" Wednesday.

She accused Cruz of disrespecting “MAGA patriots" and “people that rioted astatine the Capitol and did breach the Capitol."

“Shame connected Ted Cruz,” she said.

Cruz aboriginal appeared connected Fox News to locomotion backmost his comments, saying his phrasing was “sloppy” and “frankly dumb.”

THE OLD GUARD

The GOP's translation into the Party of Trump came possibly astir intelligibly into absorption arsenic erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney paid an unexpected sojourn to the Capitol to enactment his daughter, who has go 1 of the astir salient anti-Trump voices.

Asked what helium made of Republican leadership’s handling of the anniversary, Cheney, who served nether George W. Bush, was glib successful his appraisal of an instauration that has each but been remade successful Trump's image.

“It’s not a enactment that resembles immoderate of the folks I knew erstwhile I was present for 10 years, dramatically,” Cheney, besides a erstwhile congressman, told reporters.

“The value of January 6th arsenic an historical lawsuit cannot beryllium overstated," helium added successful a statement. "I americium profoundly disappointed astatine the nonaccomplishment of galore members of my enactment to admit the sedate quality of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing menace to our nation.”

Karl Rove, who served arsenic lawman main of unit successful the Bush medication and advised Trump astatine points during the 2020 campaign, wrote an op-ed successful the Wall Street Journal addressing those successful his ain enactment “who for a twelvemonth person excused the actions of the rioters who stormed the Capitol, disrupted Congress arsenic it received the Electoral College’s results, and violently attempted to overturn the election."

“There tin beryllium nary soft-pedaling what happened and nary absolution for those who planned, encouraged and aided the effort to overthrow our democracy. Love of state demands thing less. That’s existent patriotism,” helium wrote.

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