NOT QUITE

Republicans Defended Riot as ‘Nonviolent and Legal’ in Scrapped Draft of Cheney Censure

The first draft of the resolution censuring Liz Cheney was even stronger in its defense of Jan. 6 than the final version.

The Republican National Committee’s censure of Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has caused a stink in the party for its description of the Jan. 6 insurrection as “legitimate political discourse”—but it could have been even worse. According to The New York Times, the first draft of the resolution described the Capitol riot as “nonviolent and legal,” but that section was wisely scrapped. The draft as reported by the Times criticized the two representatives for taking part in the House investigation into the riot, describing the probe as “a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in nonviolent and legal political discourse.” In the end, the resolution that passed described the inquiry as a “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” Even that watered-down version has caused a major scrap inside the party, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterating Tuesday that he believes the events of Jan. 6 amounted to a “violent insurrection.”