News · Press Release

What Are They Thinking? Republicans’ Extremist Ringleaders Kevin McCarthy, Tom Emmer: Insurrectionists Welcome

Reps. Kevin McCarthy, Tom Emmer Welcome Insurrectionists Into Republican Party In Race Toward the Extreme

In case it wasn’t clear before: Washington Republicans Kevin McCarthy and NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer are Republicans’ Extremist Ringleaders. After doing everything in his power to prevent an independent investigation into the deadly attack on our Capitol on January 6th, McCarthy and his campaign chair, Tom Emmer, are scraping from the bottom of the barrel, welcoming insurrectionists that ransacked our Capitol as they recruit candidates for Congress.

This week, Huffington Post reported, “Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the man in charge of taking back the House majority for Republicans, is not ruling out supporting candidates who were part of the mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6.” Politico reported that Emmer, “declined to say whether or not he would support ‘patriots’ who attended the Jan. 6 rally.” What are they thinking?

ICYMI: HuffPost: House GOP Campaign Chair Won’t Rule Out Backing Candidates Who Attended Jan. 6 Riot

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the man in charge of taking back the House majority for Republicans, is not ruling out supporting candidates who were part of the mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

[…] There are at least two Republicans running for Congress who went to the Capitol on Jan. 6. Derrick Van Orden, who’s hoping to unseat Democratic Rep. Ron Kind in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, used leftover campaign funds from his 2020 run against Kind to travel to Washington for Trump’s “stop the steal” rally. Van Orden claimed that he never stepped foot on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, but a photo from that day shows otherwise.

[…] Van Orden has the backing of powerful House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Whip Steve Scalise (La.) and Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.).

Republican Teddy Daniels, who is taking a shot at challenging Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), was also at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and put up a video showing the crowd.

If Daniels shot the video, he would have been well past the police barricades that the mob barreled through.
ICYMI: Politico: House GOP’s new midterm headache: Candidates tied to the Capitol riot

[…] But the GOP campaign arm is now in the uncomfortable position of watching several of its own candidates face sharp questions about their role in the deadly siege that injured scores of police officers.

[…] Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin, has distanced himself from the violence, saying he left the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” rally after rioters began breaking into the Capitol and that he never went inside. […]  Teddy Daniels in Pennsylvania, posted a video from near the Capitol steps with the caption: “I Am Here. God Bless Our Patriots.”

[…] Tina Forte, a long-shot GOP candidate seeking to unseat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who posed for a picture the day of the attack wearing what appears to be black body armor. In another photo from that day, the right-wing influencer displayed a white power hand gesture.

[…] The trio of GOP candidates’ connections to Jan. 6 are not yet publicly well-known. Still, House Republicans are certain to face questions about them as the midterms approach.

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