'God help them': Former McConnell adviser warns RNC making 'a huge mistake' by denying the reality of Jan. 6
The fallout from the Republican Party statement calling the violence on Jan. 6 nothing more than "legitimate political discourse" continues to grow. Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, former adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Scott Jennings joined in the chorus of Republican voices complaining about the circular firing squad against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
"It's a huge mistake," Jennings said. "It's an unforced error. It's wrong, as a political, tactical matter, it's a massive distraction from what the, you know, the correct political strategy would be for the Republicans right now, which should be to talk about the future, talk about the state of the country. Talk about, you know, anything other than trying to justify — going back in time and trying to justify something that we all saw with our own eyes on television. Where you get in trouble in politics is when you try to convince somebody they didn't really see what just happened or they're not really feeling what they're actually feeling. And that statement —and I recognize they've tried to clean it up afterward, after the fact, God help them, but that statement did not delineate between people who were ransacking the Capitol and people who just showed up for some political speeches."
Republican Party chair Ronna Romney McDaniel attempted to explain that her statement was focused on a Michigan "friend" of hers what was part of the effort to get fake electors certified to replace the duly elected members of the Electoral College. They were to be certified on Jan. 6. The effort to fraudulently declare fake electors was a coordinated effort across multiple states, according to report. State attorneys general has referred it to the Justice Department.
"The idea that you would be able to convince anybody that we didn't see what we all saw is ludicrous, and so it was a major mistake, and I'm glad some republicans, especially in the Senate, have called them out," Jennings also said.
Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) noted that he along with other Republicans signed onto a letter calling out the RNC statement, but that far too many of those on the list were "former" officials and not current, he explained.
"It won't be a turning point," said Walsh. "The current Republicans generally keep their damn mouths shut. I agree with everything Scott just said, but look, there's no rift in the Republican Party. I know I sound like a broken record, the party is really unified. The party base is really unified, and most of the rest of the world just doesn't get that. This is Trump's party."
He explained that he's "done" with claims that this is a "defining moment."
"To hell with defining moments. We're miles past those," he explained.
See the exchange below:
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