On Jan. 6, Sen. Cramer seemed to blame Trump for the riot
MINOT, N.D. — As a congressional committee continues to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot — a Trump appointee on the federal bench just ruled a subpoena for the Republican National Committee’s emails to be valid — Americans are confronted with some dissonance from Republicans between how they felt about the riot on the day it happened and how they talk about it now.
The most glaring example is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who may well be speaker of the House and third in line for the presidency if his party wins back a majority in the midterms. McCarthy immediately after the riot said that President Donald Trump ought to resign.
McCarthy lied about saying it — publicly he never called for Trump’s resignation and has since sought Trump’s approval and endorsement — but a subsequently released recording caught him out in that lie.
A new book out this week from New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future,” paints a similar picture of private versus public support for Donald Trump after Jan. 6, this time for North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer.
Martin was kind enough to provide me with a pre-publication excerpt from the book describing the chaotic moments inside the Capitol building as members of Congress sought safety while an out of control mob fought to force its way in.
