CNN’s Jake Tapper called out Republicans for whining about the 1/6 Committee then shredded them pointing out that the witnesses are diehard Trump supporters.
Video of Tapper:
Jake Tapper, "Now, we've heard Republicans whining that the hearings are not sufficiently bipartisan…The witnesses have overwhelmingly been not only Republicans but diehard trump-supporting Republicans. " pic.twitter.com/jWiLiWJUqk
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 22, 2022
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Jake Tapper said on CNN,:
An evening of testimony that was frankly infuriating. Donald Trump, after sending to the capitol a mob, some of who were armed, all of whom were angry because of Trump’s months of lies about the election, Trump sending them there with the clear purpose of stopping the election, stopping democracy. All of that happening, and the president refused to act to stop the violence.Â
There was a leader of the far right militia the Oath Keepers reading his tweets. We heard that. The mob thinking they were following the president’s orders. We heard that. Police were beaten. People died. The president refused to stop it. We heard Secret Service agents guarding the vice president and his family afraid for their lives. But Donald Trump wanted it to keep going.Â
That is the only conclusion you can reach after hearing the testimony. Now, we’ve heard Republicans whining that the hearings are not sufficiently bipartisan. But beyond the central roles of Republican members of congress Cheney and Kinzinger, who we heard from at length tonight, the testimony, the witnesses have overwhelmingly been not only Republicans but diehard Trump-supporting Republicans. And what we heard tonight, they were as horrified as the rest of us, and Donald Trump did not care.
There is no other possible conclusion. Trump didn’t try to stop the violence, because the violence was part of the plan. Why else would Donald Trump be working the phones and trying to convince Senators to join his coup if he wasn’t hoping for the mob to buy him some time?
Tapper was right. Republicans don’t have a leg to stand on. There is no defense of Trump possible, and as far as the hearings being partisan is concerned, the witnesses on Thursday night were Trump loyalists. The people whose testimony was played in video form were members of the Trump administration.
Republicans are in deep trouble and the worst news of the night for them was that more hearings are coming in September.
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
