'Punchline without a joke': CNN analyst takes down Republicans opposing honors for Capitol Police

On CNN Wednesday, political analyst John Avlon tore into the small group of Republicans who refused to vote to honor the Capitol Police who fought to hold off the pro-Trump rioters storming Congress on January 6.

"Let's talk about the 12," said anchor Erin Burnett. "The Dirty Dozen. Louie Gohmert and others on that list supported Trump's big lie that the election was stolen. People died that day because of that lie. That is — that's fact. And now they are voting against the Medals of Honor because they don't want to call it an insurrection."

"That's what's happening," said Avlon. "They're trying to rewrite history — and you've got to ask yourself, who are they afraid of offending? People who the FBI director calls 'domestic terrorists' — for political purposes. And it's frankly pathetic. I mean, look, Louie Gohmert is an exemplar of this Wingnut Caucus. You gotta call it what it is. If you want to associate with Louie Gohmert, here is a guy who's an embarrassment to Congress, Texas, and the country. Somebody who's been so wrong for so long that he's a frequent target of his own state's newspapers, who mock him. His name has become a punchline without a joke."

"And when this is all over, Gohmert and the people who choose to side themselves with him are not only going to be in some hall of shame for their attempt to rewrite history on the attack on the Capitol in fear of offending domestic terrorists, Gohmert's going to be in a class all by himself, along with people like [expelled representative] James Traficant, only with less dignity," added Avlon.

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