There were only three sitting Republican members of Congress to be seen on Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
One was Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who has been largely shunned by House Republicans for her criticism of former President Donald Trump and being appointed to sit on the House select committee formed to investigate the attack. Accompanying her was her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. They joined a few dozen Democrats on the House floor for a moment of silence.
Later, firebrand Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia held a press conference pushing an unproven theory that federal government agents or informants played a role in provoking violence on Jan. 6.
There was not an obvious reason for members of Congress to be at the Capitol on Thursday other than to commemorate the attack. The House is in recess until next week, and the Senate completed its scheduled votes on Wednesday. Most Republican senators had a convenient excuse not to be in Washington: They attended the funeral of former Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson in Atlanta.
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In between those two extremes of Cheney vs. Gaetz and Greene, Republicans, while not present at the Capitol, presented a range of messages in press statements that memorized the day, accused Democrats of politicizing Jan. 6, and redirected attention to the nationwide Black Lives Matter riots in the summer of 2020.
South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, released a statement focusing purely on memorializing the day of the riot.
“January 6, 2021 continues to live in American history as the day we nearly lost the country our Founders fought for and left for us to preserve,” Rice said. “We must all do our part to unite, not divide, and ensure something like January 6th never happens again in this great country.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Jan. 6 a “dark day” for Congress and expressed thanks to U.S. Capitol Police. But then, he turned attention to the other party.
“It has been stunning to see some Washington Democrats try to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event,” McConnell said. “It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mob’s attempt to disrupt our country’s norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules, and institutions themselves.”
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham took aim at President Joe Biden for his forceful speech at the Capitol on Thursday, calling it “brazen politicization.” He later added, “I still cannot believe a mob was able to take over the United States Capitol during such a pivotal moment – certifying a presidential election.”
What brazen politicization of January 6 by President Biden.
I wonder if the Taliban who now rule Afghanistan with al-Qaeda elements present, contrary to President Biden’s beliefs, are allowing this speech to be carried?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 6, 2022
Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, released a long statement accusing Democrats of “engaging in political theater, talking about themselves and their singular obsession with a President who hasn’t been in office for nearly a year.”
Democrats participated in a whole day of events commemorating the riot. Members of both the House and Senate delivered speeches recalling their experiences that day. Statuary Hall, an ornate room outside the House chamber and next to the rotunda that was filled with rioters a year ago, was transformed into a television studio with a circular stage in the center for a CNN special airing in the evening. President Joe Biden delivered an address from the stage.
“I have consistently stressed that there is no place in our country for violence in politics on either side,” Scalise said. “I condemned those who broke into the Capitol last year, and I’m grateful for the heroic efforts of police and first responders who kept us safe that day, and who keep our communities safe every day. It’s outrageous that the leftist rioters and looters who ransacked our cities in the summer of 2020 have not been held to the same standard and prosecuted with the same aggressive zeal for the violence and mayhem they caused.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not release a statement on Jan. 6 about the anniversary of the attack. On Sunday, he mentioned the riot in a letter to colleagues, calling it “lawless and as wrong as wrong can be” but adding that the “majority party seems no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again.”
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Earlier in the week, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, along with Reps. Jim Jordan, Jim Banks, and Rodney Davis, held a press call pointing to security risks remaining in the Capitol and alleging negligence by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the only other House Republican on the Jan. 6 select committee, said that he wished he could have been at the Capitol today, too, but is on “baby watch,” with his wife due soon.
