Any congressional Republicans calling the Jan. 6 anniversary events a partisan showcase need to take a look in the mirror, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.
Rallies and events commemorating one year after the Capitol riot have been attended mostly by Democrats, a reporter noted during the afternoon press briefing, and polls show that many Republicans believe the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
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“Does President Biden feel he’s done enough to unify the country?” the reporter asked Psaki. “What more does he need to do given the sharp divides we still see on display?”
Psaki responded that millions of Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike don’t believe that the Jan. 6 riots or Thursday’s events are partisan, but that those who do should take a moment to reflect.
“We’re talking about some Republicans in Congress, not all but far too many, who in our view and the president’s view need to take a look at themselves and think about what role they want to play in the history books,” she said. “When their children and grandchildren look at the history books, do they want to be perpetuating the big lie? Do they want to be walking like silent lemmings behind the former president who fomented an insurrection?”
Some Republicans hold that Democrats are exploiting the anniversary to make a partisan push for legislation overhauling federal elections.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Jan. 6 a “dark day for Congress and our country” and thanked U.S. Capitol Police for its role in protecting legislators, but he has also accused the Democrats of exploiting the events to promote filibuster reform.
“It has been stunning to see some Democrats try to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event,” he said.
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In a Thursday morning speech inside the Capitol, President Joe Biden mostly stayed out of the voting legislation debate, but Vice President Kamala Harris used her time to call for new federal election laws.
“Here in this very building, a decision will be made about whether we uphold the right to vote and ensure free and fair elections,” she said. “Let’s be clear: We must pass the voting rights bills that are now before the Senate.”
Psaki said any lingering problems over partisanship in the Jan. 6 memorials need to be fixed on the GOP side.
“Do they want to be part of saving our democracy?” she asked. “The question really should be directed at them.”
