Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:35 pm
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said that the 1/6 investigation politically helps Democrats, which can only mean that Republicans will look bad.
Video:
Sen. Pat Toomey says what every Republican is thinking that 1/6 investigation politically helps Democrats. The reason for this, which Toomey didn't explicitly say is that Republicans are going to look really bad for their role in trying to overthrow the government. pic.twitter.com/HP1zcLm0ND
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 25, 2021
Toomey said on CNN‘s State Of The Union:
I think people do want to get to the bottom of it. Yes, I did support the senate version of a commission that would have been genuinely and truly bipartisan, both in its composition of members and staff, which I think is important. This exercise in the House was not meant to be that. Look, here is the bottom line, Jake. We have a lot of investigations under way now.Â
There are Senate committees that have completed some. There are others still in progress. We have many criminal investigations. I would favor a truly bipartisan commission, but I think we should be candid about the fact that it is politically to the advantage ofDemocratsto try to keep this issue in the forefront. James Carville has been very candid about this. He has urgedDemocrats, don’t let the election be about Joe Biden and his policies in 2022. Make that election about January 6th and Donald Trump. So, it’s very clear that Democratshave an incentive to try to drive a political message here, and a purely partisan commission in the House is probably going to do that.Â
1/6 Investigation Only Hurts Republicans If They Did Something Wrong
An investigation into the Capitol attack would be a problem for Republicans only if they did something wrong. If Republicans were innocent and didn’t conspire with the insurrectionists to overthrow the government, they have nothing to worry about.
Republicans are terrified of the 1/6 investigation because it is likely to reveal that a number of Republicans in Congress were at least supportive if not involved in the attack.
An investigation into 1/6 should not benefit anyone, but Toomey’s comments are a red flag that explains why Republicans are so scared.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association