Here is the disturbing reason behind GOP lawmakers' efforts to ignore the truth about the US Capitol insurrection

29 May 2021

Texas man who participated in Capitol riot threatened to kill his own children if they turned him in

The insurrection on the U.S. Capitol was a disturbing historical event that an overwhelming number of Americans witnessed by way of social media.

While photos and footage make what transpired very difficult to dispute, Republican lawmakers have pushed back anyway. Now, the reason for their pushback is being explored. According to Washington Post political columnist Karen Tumulty, the disturbing truth centers on a dangerous illusion that only adds fuel to the fire. Despite the obvious, many pro-Trump Republicans appear to believe the angry mob's actions were justified even though their own lawmakers' lives were put in danger.

Per the Washington Post:

"The more dangerous truth is that a not-insignificant portion of the GOP's Trumpian base actually appears to believe that the violent mob was justified in its effort to disrupt Congress as it conducted its pro forma tally of the electoral votes that made Joe Biden the 46th president."

In fact, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rationale is strong example of Republicans' attempts at projection that the publication highlights. He was deeply criticized by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) as she noted that his rationale appeared to be "a decision for the short-term political gain at the expense of understanding and acknowledging what was in front of us on Jan. 6. I think we need to look at that critically. Is that really what this is about … one election cycle after another?"

Trump's looming influence has also been a factor. Last week, approximately three dozen Republican lawmakers sided with House Democrats to approve the establishment of the commission. Shortly after, Trump released a scathing statement lambasting the "35 wayward Republicans" as he warned of "consequences to being ineffective and weak."

Apparently, Senate Republicans received the warning loud and clear. When lawmakers cast their votes yesterday, the measure failed in Senate thanks to the filibuster. Sens. Murkowski, Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were the only Republicans courageous enough to push back against Trump. Since the measure only needed an additional six votes to pass, the nine Republican lawmakers who opted not to vote could have made all the difference.

In the aftermath of the insurrection and the commission vote, Republican lawmakers have been deeply criticized for failing to push back against Trump despite his presidency being over.

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