Many Republicans in the Senate are raising concerns over former United States President Donald Trump's planned Jan. 6 speech, which is set to be held on the anniversary of the unprecedented Capitol Hill riot.
GOP members are openly fretting that the Republican businessman is once again trying to pull his party back into supporting his claims of election fraud for the 2020 presidential elections. In a statement, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia said that Trump's planned speech was not a good idea. The senator said that if Trump gives an aggressive statement, it would not be beneficial.
Trump's Planned Speech
Another Republican senator, Sen. Joni Ernst from Iowa, said he wanted to "stay focused on congressional activities. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who previously voted to convict Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, said the planned speech was a terrible idea but argued that there was nothing he can do about it, Politico reported.
Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who is a member of the House Select Committee that is responsible for investigating the events of the Jan. 6 riot, said on Sunday that while it was concerning Trump planned a speech on the anniversary of the Capitol Hill siege, it was not at all surprising that the Republican businessman would try to repeat his claims.
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Former director of strategic communications for the Trump administration, Alyssa Farah, said in an interview that it would be much better for former President Trump to remain silent on Jan. 6. The remarks from various Republicans are the latest signs of the tension brewing within the GOP.
Growing Concerns
Many Republicans are unwilling to openly defy Trump and go against his influence, partly due to the fact that the Republican businessman could still become the party's nominee in the 2024 elections. Despite this, some GOP members are hesitant to offer their full support to the former president's election fraud claims, Yahoo News reported.
The situation also comes as the House Select Committee continues its investigations into the Jan. 6 riot, obtaining documents that reveal how Trump's allies planned a campaign to intimidate election officials and spread election fraud claims.
On Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff confirmed that the panel was planning to request Sean Hannity's voluntary cooperation with the investigation. The Fox News pundit is known to be one of several from the news media outlet who were revealed to have exchanged text messages with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during the Capitol Hill riot.
An attorney representing Hannity released a statement questioning whether or not the committee's request would violate their client's First Amendment protections as a member of the press. The concern comes as the Fox host is not placed under criminal investigation and is instead only considered as a potential witness in the case.
"Any such request would raise serious constitutional issues including First Amendment concerns regarding freedom of the press," said Jay Sekulow, Hannity's attorney, in response to the committee's request for its investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, Independent reported.
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