Mitch McConnell blasted the Republican National Committee on Tuesday telling reporters January 6, 2021 “was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next.”
Last week, the RNC tried to characterize the attempted by calling it “legitimate political discourse” when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capital. The New York Times adds:
In the days since the Republican National Committee passed the resolution at its winter meeting in Salt Lake City, a handful of Republicans have criticized the move as everything from a political distraction to a shame on the party. Mr. McConnell was among the most blunt.
The New York Times
McConnell also criticized the RNC for censuring GOP Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their roles in investigating the coup attempt.
“Traditionally, the view of the national party committees is that we support all members of our party, regardless of their positions on some issues,” he told reporters in a choreographed statement after Senate Republicans’ closed-door weekly lunch. He added, “The issue is whether or not the R.N.C. should be sort of singling out members of our party who may have different views of the majority. That’s not the job of the R.N.C.”
The New York Times
Meanwhile, this was the reaction from Mike McCarthy, chief Trump loyalist in the House.
Earlier, McCarthy defended the RNC’s use of “legitimate political discourse,” claiming that the RNC had been referring to the House select committee’s subpoenas to RNC officials who were in Florida at the time of the Capitol attack.”Anybody who broke in and caused damage, that was not called for. Those people, we’ve said from the very beginning, should be in jail,” McCarthy told CNN.
