(Washington) The Republican Party politically sanctioned two elected officials from their party who are investigating Donald Trump’s role in the Capitol storming and deemed the protests that day to be “legitimate political expression”.
Posted at 2:41 p.m.
Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are the only two Republicans to sit on the parliamentary committee seeking to shed light on the actions of the former president during the attack on the United States Congress by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
PHOTO DREW ANGERER, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Republican Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger during a December 1, 2021 hearing by the Capitol Storming Investigative Committee. The Republican Party’s no-confidence vote against them heightens the campaign to oust them from the party for not being loyal to former President Donald Trump.
Meeting in Congress in the mountainous state of Utah, the conservative party passed a mainly symbolic motion of no confidence in them, accusing them of behavior “destructive for the House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic”.
January 6: “legitimate political expression”
At the same time, he stressed that the January 6 demonstrations, which some Democrats call an act of terrorism, were a “legitimate political expression”.
This vote on Friday once again confirms the considerable influence that Donald Trump retains in his camp, more than a year after being ousted from power by Joe Biden.
The Republican billionaire has repeatedly accused Liz Cheney, who has become one of his biggest enemies in the US Congress, of being “disloyal and warmongering” and announced in September that he would support his rival in a Republican primary to prevent him from being re-elected.
This poll in Wyoming promises to be one of the most watched in the midterm elections.
Liz Cheney blasted that “Republican Party leaders have made themselves willing hostages of a man who admits trying to overturn a presidential election.”
Behind the scenes, several tenors of the Republican Party, starting with former President George Bush, have however made donations to his re-election campaign.
And several moderate party figures denounced Friday’s vote. “Shame falls on a party that would censor people who seek the truth in the face of vitriol,” said Senator Mitt Romney.