The Republican members of Iowa’s congressional delegation called for the prosecution of criminals, but didn’t directly address the RNC’s language.
The Republican members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are largely deflecting questions about the Republican National Committee’s recent framing of the Jan.6,2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol as „legitimate political discourse.“ While the members condemned the violence and called for the prosecution of criminals, they did not directly address the RNC’s language. The Republican National Committee passed a resolution late last week to censure U.S. House Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for participating in Congress‘ Jan.6 investigation, which they described as „a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.“ Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that the party organization overstepped its bounds with the censure, and he condemned the events of Jan.6 as an „insurrection.“ “It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent a peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next,“ he said in a news conference. „That’s what it was.“ A November 2021 Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that half of Iowans say that what happened Jan.6 was an insurrection and a threat to democracy. That included 93% of Democrats,50% of independents and 20% of Republicans. Another 22% of Iowans said the event was unfortunate, but it’s in the past so there’s no need to worry about it anymore. And 18% said what happened was a political protest protected under the First Amendment. Five percent of Iowans said none of the options best reflected their views, and 4% were not sure. Flash back: ‚Sad day in our democracy,‘ lawmakers react, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley escorted out of Senate after Trump supporters breach Capitol In a call with Iowa reporters Wednesday, Grassley said he believes the Republican Party should be a „big tent party“ where „anybody and everybody’s welcome.“ He said the events of Jan.6 should be treated „just like any crime committed.
