Prominent Republican senators are speaking out against the “stupid” wording of a resolution adopted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) that called the Capitol Insurrection “legitimate political discourse.”
Even RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s uncle, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), isn’t holding back.
Related: The GOP has declared the violent January 6 attack “legitimate political discourse”
The RNC last week voted to adopt a resolution condemning Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) for helping the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
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The resolution accused Cheney and Kinzinger of “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes.”
That wording has been attacked in the media, online, and by Democrats for excusing the violent attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and some Republican senators are now expressing concern about referring to rioters who were chanting for the death of former Vice President Mike Pence as “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”
“It could not have been a more inappropriate message,” Sen. Romney said about the resolution passed by his niece’s organization, according to a CNN report. “Anything that my party does that comes across as being stupid is not going to help us.”
He added that McDaniel is a “wonderful person and doing her very best.”
And he wasn’t the only one. Senate GOP Whip John Thune (R-SD) said that the resolution wasn’t “constructive” because it was just more in-fighting.
“It’s just not a constructive move, when you’re trying to win elections and take on Democrats, to take on Republicans,” he said. “It’s just not helpful.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reportedly called McDaniel over the weekend and admonished her for drawing more attention to the Capitol Insurrection just months before the midterm elections.
“I think all of us up here want to talk about forward and not backward,” he said. “We want to talk about why we should be in charge of the House and the Senate, and when you’re not talking about that, that takes you in the wrong direction.”
Some Republican senators defended the RNC, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who said that “tens of thousands of people engaged in peaceful free speech” who “the press and Democrats try to demonize falsely.” It’s not clear if he was specifically referring to the rioters.
The conflict shows the growing divide in the Republican party over the 2020 elections, with many Republican officials still unwilling to admit that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
