Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) broke with the Republican National Committee Tuesday over its decision to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for sitting on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating last year’s Capitol riot.
McConnell told reporters at the Capitol that he felt the RNC had no business “singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority.
“That’s not the job of the RNC,” the Kentucky Republican added.
The censure resolution passed by voice vote at the RNC’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City last week. It included language alleging Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Kinzinger (R-Ill.) were “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”
McConnell took issue with that language Tuesday, saying that the riot constituted a “violent insurrection.”
“We all were here. We saw what happened,” he said. “It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That’s what it was.”
Despite his criticism, McConnell said he still has confidence in RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who supported the resolution in no uncertain terms.
“Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line,” McDaniel said last week. “They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol. That’s why Republican National Committee members and myself overwhelmingly support this resolution.”
With his condemnation of the censure, McConnell joined other senior senators, including John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — McDaniel’s uncle — and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).
“I think being accurate is really important, particularly when you are talking about something that sensitive, and I just think it was not an accurate description,” Cornyn said on Monday.
Ahead of the censure vote last week, Cassidy tweeted in disbelief: “The RNC is censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger because they are trying to find out what happened on January 6th – HUH?”
Romney, who said that he spoke with his niece about the matter, called the move “inappropriate” Monday.
“One, to sanction two people of character as they did,” he added. “But number two, to suggest that a violent attack on the seat of democracy is legitimate political discourse is so far from accurate as to shock and make people wonder what we’re thinking.”
Cheney and Kinzinger have both faced sharp backlash from allies of former President Donald Trump for their criticisms of his alleged incitement of the attack. Both lawmakers say they joined the panel put together by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) because they feel it’s necessary to get the facts on what led to the siege.