Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Sunday the Republican National Committee is “absolutely wrong” to characterize the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as “legitimate political discourse.”
The Republican lawmaker said it “can be uncomfortable” to not toe the party line, but said she must in the case of the attack on the U.S. Capitol because her chief loyalties lie with her constituents in Alaska, not the Republican Party.
“So, when there is a conflict, when the party is taking an approach or saying things that I think are just absolutely wrong, I think it’s my responsibility, as an Alaskan senator speaking out for Alaskans, to just speak the truth,” Ms. Murkowski said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The RNC turned heads on Friday when the 168-member body passed a resolution by voice vote that censured Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for participating in the House select committee investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger are among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump for inciting the pro-Trump mob to storm the Capitol that day.
Refusing to dial down their criticism of Mr. Trump and his stolen election claims, they have drawn the ire of Republicans who fear they are playing into the hands of Democrats and hurting the GOP ahead of the midterm elections.
The RNC resolution said Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger “have demonstrated, with actions and words, that they support Democrat efforts to destroy President Trump more than they support winning back a Republican majority in 2022.”
“Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are 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,” the resolution says.
Ms. Murkowski first aired her criticism on Twitter, writing: “We must not legitimize those actions which resulted in loss of life and we must learn from that horrible event so history does not repeat itself.”
“As Americans, we must acknowledge those tragic events, and we cannot allow a false narrative to be created,” she said. “We cannot deny the truth — to suggest it was ’legitimate political discourse’ is just wrong.”
The riot witnessed the deaths of five people. Ashli Babbitt suffered the only violent death when a U.S. Capitol Police officer shot and killed her as she attempted to enter the Speaker’s Lobby adjacent to the House chamber.
Three other Trump supporters died during the riot, two of heart attacks and one from a drug overdose. Hours after clashing with rioters outside the Capitol, a Capitol Police officer died of a stroke, which the medical examiner deemed a death from natural causes.
Mr. Trump is backing primary challengers against Ms. Cheney and Ms. Murkowski.
He also has been putting an increased focus on the Jan. 6 committee, saying the Democrat-led panel is a partisan scam and that the committee has been weaponized against Republicans.
Democrats say the sole purpose of the investigation is to determine what led to the Capitol attack, and what can be done to avoid similar events in the future.
On Sunday, former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who is thought to be considering another presidential bid in 2024, said it is clear the RNC and its chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, are “carrying water” for Mr. Trump.
“Most of those folks were put into place [at the RNC] over the course of the four years by Donald Trump,” Mr. Christie said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Certainly Ronna Romney McDaniel is carrying water for Donald Trump in this regard.”
Ms. McDaniel co-authored the censure resolution with David Bossie, a Trump ally and RNC member from Maryland.
Mr. Christie said the resolution is muddying the party’s message and pulling attention away from President Biden and the failures of Democrats.
“All anybody is talking about this weekend is this resolution, rather than talking about the failures of the Biden administration,” Mr. Christie said
He is urging the party to move past Mr. Trump and his stolen election claims.
“People are tired of hearing about the 2020 election from Donald Trump and from some who support him, and what they want to hear is what are the Republican solutions for 2022,” he said. “What the RNC has done and what Ronna McDaniel has done this weekend is to distract from that.”
H.R. McMaster, who served as national security adviser in the Trump administration, also took issue with the RNC resolution, dismissing the idea that the events of Jan. 6 were “legitimate political discourse.”
“It was illegitimate political discourse because it was an assault on the first branch of government,” Mr. McMaster said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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