A group of House Republicans are seeking to declare former President Donald Trump did not engage in an insurrection on Jan. 6.
On Tuesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla) and several other Republicans expressed their view on the issue.
“We are here today to authoritatively express that President Trump did not commit an insurrection. And we believe Congress has a unique role in making that declaration,” he said.
He went on to note the decisions by Colorado’s Supreme Court and Maine’s secretary of state to disqualify Trump from the ballot, citing a clause in of the 14th Amendment that prohibits those who took an oath of office and engaged in an insurrection from holding office again.
Watch the video below:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) urges Congress members to support his resolution that states Donald Trump “did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States”:
— The Recount (@therecount) February 6, 2024
“It’s time for members of the House and Senate to show where they stand on this question.” pic.twitter.com/2TcRGMkYoG
Meanwhile, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) insisted, “It is Joe Biden and Democrats who are openly attacking democracy.”
“Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States,” she argued.
Rep. Elise Stefanik claims that it is Biden, not Trump, who is the threat to democracy as she attempts to whitewash Jan. 6:
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) February 6, 2024
“It is Joe Biden and Democrats who are openly attacking democracy…Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States.” pic.twitter.com/PQHTipO64b
Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) sought to downplay the right at the U.S.Capitol saying, “When they came to Washington and protested, all of you called that an insurrection.”
“And then when Joe Biden was inaugurated, and this Capitol was surrounded with 30,000 National Guard troops, none of you stood there and called that an insurrection,” she complained.
It was unclear how the use of National Guard troops to protect the Capitol without an intention of overthrowing the government would qualify as an insurrection.
Greene has a habit of labeling behavior she does not like insurrections without explaining how they fit the definition of an insurrection.