RNC's Jan. 6 'legitimate political discourse' language was added to censure in 'routine editing decision'
Congressional Republicans spent much of Tuesday fielding questions — or ducking them — about a Republican National Committee censure resolution that accused Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) of helping the House Jan. 6 committee persecute "ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday became the highest-ranking Republican to criticize the censure, calling it both an inappropriate GOP-on-GOP attack and a gross mischaracterization of what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6. "We saw it happen," he told reporters. "It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election."
Other Senate Republicans criticized the RNC censure as a politically damaging distraction. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), an uncle of RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, said the censure "could not have been a more inappropriate" message. "Anything that my party does that comes across as being stupid is not going to help us," he added.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Inside the RNC, "the resolution has led to an intensive round of finger-pointing," The New York Times reports. The original draft of the resolution, written by Trump ally David Bossie, sought to eject Cheney and Kinzinger from the House GOP caucus, accusing them of helping attack "nonviolent and legal political discourse."
"It is unclear how the words 'legitimate political discourse' came to enter the document as it was edited in Salt Lake City by Bossie, McDaniel, and others," The Washington Post reports. A person familiar with the drafting "attributed the revision to a routing editing decision," the Times adds.
"McDaniel and some of her senior staff began trying to clean up what several allies and advisers viewed as a major blunder on Saturday morning," the Post reports. She defended censuring Cheney and Kinzinger in a Townhall op-ed Tuesday, blaming "media outlets" for "bad faith" and dishonest "cheap political stunts" by "pretending" the RNC believes violence is "legitimate political discourse."
New Jersey's Bill Palatucci was one of the RNC members who complained that the text of the resolution was emailed to members at 1:38 a.m. and not read aloud before the quick voice vote nine hours later. "The authors of the resolution and the leadership at the RNC have nobody to blame but themselves," he told the Times, adding that in his view, the resolution excused "anyone who participated in the riot on Jan. 6."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'The double standards don't trouble the critics'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 22, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - frozen assets, blazing fires, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
GOP's Mace seeks federal anti-trans bathroom ban
Speed Read Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation to ban transgender people from using federal facilities
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published