Capitol riot commission keeps GOP ties to Trump
by W. James Antle III, Politics Editor |
| May 20, 2021 07:00 AM
A renewed Democratic push for a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is the latest complication in Republican efforts to move on from re-litigating former President Donald Trump’s time in office.
With the midterm elections looming next year — and Democrats defending razor-thin majorities in both houses of Congress — Republicans would prefer to shine the spotlight on President Joe Biden’s record. Opposition to the incumbent is often a major driver of turnout in the midterm elections, especially during the first term.
Democrats, and some Republicans, remain adamant the events of Jan. 6 require a serious investigation. Trump supporters attacked the Capitol as Congress met to certify the Electoral College results, which the then-president alleged Biden won due to widespread voter fraud. The Trump Justice Department concluded there was no evidence of fraud sufficient to alter the outcome of the election, as did most contemporaneous state investigations.
In addition to shifting the focus to topics Republicans would prefer not to have at the forefront of the debate during the campaign, GOP leaders suspect Democrats will use the commission to press them to denounce Trump and associate views widely held by grassroots conservatives with violent extremism.
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