Rep. Ken Calvert Under Fire from Local Press for His Disgraceful Stance on January 6th

Devastating new reporting once again reminded California voters that Rep. Ken Calvert was eager to meet the demands of violent insurrectionists and was one of 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying the election after the harrowing events of January 6th. One year later, Calvert stands by his dangerous refusal to certify the election. 

Local outlets including NBC Palm Springs, the Press-Enterprise, and the Palm Springs Desert Sun published blistering reports of Calvert’s ongoing attempts to obfuscate the January 6th Capitol attack and the events leading up to it.

NBC Palm Springs aired an interview from August of 2021 where Calvert says he hopes that the charges will be dropped against local insurrectionists and members of the “Three Percenters” militia group, saying:

 “‘I think a lot of the people that have been… charged will be released and the charges dropped, I hope, relatively soon.’”

The segment goes on to share Calvert’s bona fides as an insurrection apologist and sympathizer:

“It’s not all talk: Hours after insurrectionists stormed the Capitol, Calvert voted to overturn the 2020 election results. He also signed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn the results in four states. He’s also voted against holding an independent commission to investigate what happened on January 6th. Now we did reach out to Representative Calvert and his team for comment. They have not responded.”

Calvert even told the Press-Enterprise that he “doesn’t consider what happened a year ago to be an insurrection.”

And as the Palm Springs Desert Sun reports, Calvert is “facing criticism over Jan. 6 stance in re-election campaign:

“Upon his return to the House floor hours later, Calvert joined more than 100 other House Republicans in voting against certifying the election results in certain states, including Pennsylvania and Arizona. Calvert stood by his vote in an interview this week.

…

In the Coachella Valley, the issue is likely to remain at the forefront in Calvert’s race for re-election, with Democratic challengers already bashing the congressman for his opposition to the voter certification in Arizona and Pennsylvania.”

Read more from the Palm Springs Desert Sun:

• “‘Just hours after 140 police officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol, Rep. Calvert voted to decertify the results of the presidential election,’ [Will] Rollins told The Desert Sun. ‘He also refused to investigate anyone responsible for the January 6 attack, joined the Texas amicus brief, and — instead of just admitting that the election was not stolen — hid behind frivolous lawsuits that never had any basis in fact or law in the first place.’”

• “Teacher Brandon Mosely, a Democrat, accused Calvert of ‘selling out our Democracy to an angry mob of rioters,’ calling him ‘a danger to our democracy and a traitor to our country.’”

• “‘Calvert’s votes have the effect of weakening our American democracy, and his unwillingness to speak out strongly against the actions of the insurrectionists reinforce how out of touch he is,’ Shrina Kurani said. ‘We will absolutely make sure voters understand Calvert’s record of putting himself and his partisan agenda ahead of the people.’”

###