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A twelvemonth ago, aft rioters took implicit the U.S. Capitol, threatening to bent erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence and forcing lawmakers to flee, galore Republicans joined with Democrats successful condemning the violence.
They called it a tragic time for America, an unimaginable show of anarchy not patriotism.
Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the mob attempting to overturn the predetermination results had been provoked by erstwhile President Donald Trump. Former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the demolition and chaos undemocratic. Senators and representatives demanded accountability.
A twelvemonth later, with Trump inactive susceptible of governmental retribution, Republicans are publically minimizing Trump’s relation and accusing Democrats of politicizing the riot. A Washington Post-University of Maryland canvass recovered the 58% of Republicans inactive judge that Biden was not elected legitimately.
Capitol Riot Coverage
McConnell thanked the Capitol Police for their bravery connected the day and called the deadly insurrection a "dark time for Congress and our country."
But successful a statement, helium criticized Democrats for tying the riot to changing a filibuster regularisation to walk voting rights legislation, saying, "it is beyond distasteful for immoderate of our colleagues to ham-fistedly invoke the Jan. 6 day to beforehand these aims."
McCarthy again said those who broke the instrumentality should look ineligible repercussions, but tried to crook the absorption to the information of the Capitol, a connection being repeated by different Republicans.
“Unfortunately, 1 twelvemonth later, the bulk enactment seems nary person to answering the cardinal question of however the Capitol was near truthful unprepared and what indispensable beryllium done to guarantee it ne'er happens again,” helium wrote successful a letter to House Republicans. “Instead, they are utilizing it arsenic a partisan governmental limb to further disagreement our country."
More Capitol Riot Coverage
Republicans leaders were not readying to beryllium astatine the Capitol connected the anniversary, but successful a speech connected the anniversary, Biden said “This isn’t astir being bogged down successful the past. This is astir making definite the past isn’t buried.”
Biden said Trump had dispersed a web of lies astir the 2020 predetermination results and refused to judge the volition of the American people.
“He's done truthful due to the fact that helium values powerfulness implicit principle, because helium sees his ain involvement arsenic much important than his country's involvement and America's interest, and due to the fact that his bruised ego matters much to him than our ideology oregon our Constitution," Biden said.
“While immoderate courageous men and women successful the Republican Party are lasting against it, trying to uphold the rule of that party, excessively many others are transforming that enactment into thing else,” helium said.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who a twelvemonth agone was photographed cleaning up the Capitol, connected Wednesday tweeted a compilation of Republican statements, penning “These are their words from a twelvemonth ago. Let’s not fto them hide them.”
Here’s a look backmost astatine what was said the nighttime of January 6 aft the U.S. Capitol was secured and successful the days after:
Former Vice President Mike PenceToday was a acheronian time successful the past of the United States Capitol… We condemn the unit that took spot present successful the strongest imaginable terms… To those who wreaked havoc successful our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence ne'er wins. Freedom wins.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, January 6, 2021
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Those storming the Capitol request to halt NOW.
The Constitution protects peaceful protest, but violence—from Left oregon Right— is ALWAYS wrong.
And those engaged successful unit are hurting the origin they accidental they support.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas)
Today, the people's House was attacked, which is an onslaught connected the Republic itself. There is nary excuse for it. A women died. And radical request to spell to jail. And the President should ne'er person spun up definite Americans to judge thing that simply cannot be.
Rep. Chip Roy, January 6, 2021Read the afloat Congressional transcript here.
Rep. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
There is thing patriotic astir what is occurring connected Capitol Hill. This is 3rd satellite benignant anti-American anarchy.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 6, 2021Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.)
United States Capitol Police saved my life.
Attacks connected instrumentality enforcement officers trying to bash their jobs are ne'er acceptable. Period.
We tin passionately protestation without being violent.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
Chaos, anarchy. The unit contiguous was incorrect and un-American.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), January 6, 2021Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
When it comes to accountability, the President needs to recognize that his actions were the problem, not the solution, that the rally yesterday was unseemly, it got retired of hand... I said connected the level of the Senate, I formed my ballot accordingly, that Joe Biden is the morganatic president-elect of the United States.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, January 7, 2021Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.)
The Capitol gathering is the halfway and ineffable awesome of democracy. Today’s convulsive actions undermine the principles and values that our federation was founded on.
Individuals who broke into the US Capitol oregon assaulted our instrumentality enforcement should look the afloat consequences of the law.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
This has been a genuinely tragic time for America. We each articulation unneurotic successful afloat condemning the unsafe unit and demolition that occurred contiguous successful our Nation's Capitol. Americans volition ever person their state of code and the law close to protest, but unit successful immoderate signifier is perfectly unacceptable. It is anti-America, and indispensable beryllium prosecuted to the fullest grade of the law.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, January 6, 2021Read the afloat legislature transcript here.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas)
On Wednesday the Capitol of the astir almighty federation the satellite has ever known was stormed by an aggravated mob. Americans surely ne'er thought they’d spot specified a scene: members of Congress barricaded wrong the House chamber, Capitol Police trampled, and 4 Americans dead. A pistillate was changeable adjacent the elevator I usage each time to participate the House floor. It was a show not of patriotism but of frenzy and anarchy.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, January 11, 2021Read his afloat connection here.
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
Let maine beryllium clear: Last week’s convulsive onslaught connected the Capitol was undemocratic, un-American and criminal…And marque nary mistake: Those who are liable for Wednesday’s chaos volition beryllium brought to justice…The president bears work for Wednesday’s onslaught connected Congress by mob rioters.
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, January 13, 2021Read his afloat connection here.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
January 6th was a disgrace... American citizens attacked their ain government. They utilized coercion to effort to halt a circumstantial portion of antiauthoritarian concern they did not like... Fellow Americans bushed and bloodied our ain police. They stormed the Senate floor. They tried to hunt down the Speaker of the House. They built a gallows and chanted astir murdering the Vice President...
They did this due to the fact that they had been fed chaotic falsehoods by the astir almighty antheral connected Earth — due to the fact that helium was aggravated he’d mislaid an election.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, February 13, 2021Read his afloat connection here.
Other statements:
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.): "This unit and demolition person nary spot successful our republic. It indispensable extremity now." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.): "These actions astatine the U.S. Capitol by protestors are genuinely despicable and unacceptable. While I americium harmless and sheltering successful place, these protests are prohibiting america from doing our law duty. I condemn them successful the strongest imaginable terms." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Miss.): "The events unfolding astatine the Capitol are shameful. There is nary justification for unit and destruction. It has to halt now. This is not who we are arsenic a nation. Thank you to the Capitol Police who are keeping america safe." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.): "Today is simply a bittersweet time for our country. The demolition and unit we saw astatine our Capitol contiguous is an battle connected our democracy, our Constitution and the regularisation of law, and indispensable not beryllium tolerated. As Americans, we judge successful the close to peaceful protest. We indispensable emergence supra the violence. We indispensable basal together. We volition not fto today’s unit deter Congress from certifying the election. We indispensable reconstruct assurance successful our electoral process. We must, and we will, person a peaceful and orderly modulation of power." – January 6, 2021
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.): "Mr. President. You person got to halt this. You are the lone idiosyncratic who tin telephone this off. Call it off. The predetermination is over. Call it off. This is bigger than you. It is bigger than immoderate subordinate of Congress. It is astir the United States of America." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.): "Call it what it is: An onslaught connected the Capitol is an onslaught connected ideology Today we are trying to usage the antiauthoritarian process to code grievances. This unit inhibits our quality to bash that. Violent protests were unacceptable this summertime and are unacceptable now." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio): "I condemn the convulsive and transgression acts that took spot astatine the U.S. Capitol today. These shameful actions to disrupt a league of Congress and vandalize the Capitol gathering should ne'er hap successful our large republic. The U.S. Capitol belongs to each American and is simply a awesome of the citadel of democracy. An onslaught connected the Capitol gathering is an onslaught connected each American...
It is clip for President Trump to clasp the peaceful transportation of power, which is mandated nether the Constitution and a hallmark of our democracy." – January 6, 2021
Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.): "Today, we saw an battle connected our democracy. I emotion this institution. I emotion the United States Congress, and I emotion the United States of America. And what I saw contiguous was mob regularisation that spat upon the humor of my begetter that is successful the ungraded of Europe and successful the ungraded of Korea, and who gave america done that humor this ineffable Constitution and the ineffable quality to pb this satellite arsenic a powerfulness that says we settee our differences not with mob rule; we settee our quality done elections. And erstwhile those elections are over, we person a peaceful modulation of power." – January 6, 2021
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.): "What we person seen contiguous is unlawful and unacceptable…I person decided I volition ballot to uphold the Electoral College results and I promote Donald Trump to condemn and enactment an extremity to this madness." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.): "This gathering has been desecrated, humor has been spilled successful the hallways…This isn't what America is. What happened contiguous isn’t what America is." – January 6, 2021
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.): "Everyone has a close to peacefully protest. No 1 has a close to perpetrate violence. What happened contiguous astatine the Capitol is disgraceful and un-American. It is not what our state stands for." – January 6, 2021
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.): "I anticipation that the types of radical who stormed the Capitol contiguous got a wide connection that they volition not halt our ideology from moving forward…We request to get our enactment done and this benignant of thuggery would not support america from doing the people’s work" – January 6, 2021
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