Republicans aren't cowards afraid of Trump — they're eagerly running along with him: columnist

The Sunday morning news shows were filled with disaffected Republicans angry over the civil war raging within their party. The narrative from many of them has been that leaders like Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is too scared of the Trump wing of the GOP to stand up for his caucus members.

Writing Monday for the Washington Post, political columnist Greg Sargent explained that the truth is far worse than the idea that Republican leaders are afraid or "cowards."

"Obviously fear of attacks from Trump — or from right-wing media or primary challengers — is one motivator," he wrote. "But by itself, this simply won't do: It implies that Republicans would prefer on principle to stand firm in defense of democracy but are not doing so simply out of fear of facing immediate political consequences."

The Arizona GOP was given access to do their own audit of Maricopa County ballots, a Democratic stronghold in the state. While some Republicans supported the idea, now even the GOP-controlled county board of election supervisors has come out against the so-called "audit."

He cited the one Republican who initially supported the audit, but who now denounces it as "ridiculous" and "embarrassing."

"Given all this," Sargent continued, "it's impossible to chalk this effort up to 'cowardice' or 'fear of Trump.' It is a deliberate action plainly undertaken to manufacture fake evidence for the affirmative purpose of further undermining faith in our electoral system going forward."

He went on to argue that the goal of the GOP is to undermine the election. Citing Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who was hammered by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Sargent pointed that the congressman only quietly acknowledged that Joe Biden actually won the election. He then immediately pivoted to claim that the 2020 election concerns were all valid.

"This is not the act of a 'coward' who 'fears Trump,' and would vouch for the integrity of the election if only he could do so without consequences," he explained. "Rather, it is the act of someone who is fully devoted to the project of continuing to undermine confidence in our elections going forward."

Read his full column at the Washington Post.