The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Friday voted to condemn Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for their involvement in the House Select Committee responsible for investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.
The extraordinary rebuke comes amid the RNC calling the unprecedented siege of Capitol Hill "legitimate political discourse." Despite not conducting any debate or discussion, Republican officials passed the censure resolution overwhelmingly on a voice vote that took roughly one minute.
Censure of Cheney and Kinzinger
The RNC said that the two Republican officials on the House Select Committee have been destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party, and the republic. They argued that Cheney and Kinzinger were participating in a "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens."
The situation comes as the panel continues to investigate the insurrection where a large group of loyal supporters of former United States President Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill. The incident, where the mob rejected the presidential win of Democrat Joe Biden, resulted in five fatalities and injury of about 140 law enforcement personnel, the Washington Post reported.
However, party leaders of the RNC later corrected themselves and said that their claims of legitimate political discourse did not apply to civilians who violently attacked the Capitol. In a statement, the RNC chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, said that Cheney and Kinzinger have "crossed a line."
The Republican official argued that the two GOP members decided to side with White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The censure of the two panel members is the latest and strongest effort by the GOP in downplaying the events of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack.
According to the New York Times, the censure also comes days after former president Trump suggested that if he was re-elected in 2024, he was considering providing pardons to people convicted in the Capitol Hill siege. In his remarks, the Republican businessman, for the first time, described his goals of that day, adding that former United States Vice President Mike Pence had the power to overturn the election.
"Legitimate Political Discourse"
Shortly after the RNC's vote, Cheney posted a video on Twitter depicting a violent confrontation between rioters and the police outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Wyoming representative argued that the footage showed what legitimate political discourse was not.
The RNC's decision to censure the two Republican lawmakers is unprecedented and is the first time that the party has rebuked an incumbent congressional Republican. While the resolution was introduced on Friday to the 168 members of the committee, there were a few vocal opposition in the room.
Bill Palatucci, the New Jersey committeeman, said that the censure proposal was a dangerous idea. He questioned whether or not they should also censure Marc Short for showing up to testify before the House Select Committee.
A co-sponsor of the resolution and Arkansas committeeman Jonathan Barnett said that some individuals believed the resolution was initially too harsh. Some RNC members urged colleagues to water down the resolution to remove language that would expel Cheney and Kinzinger from the House GOP Conference, as per CNN.
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