Republican party in US terms Capitol attack as 'legitimate political discourse'

In a shocking move, the Republican party of the United States has officially termed former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and the attack on the Capitol as “legitimate political discourse”.  

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is holding its winter meetings in Salt Lake City as part of the formal censure of Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who are the only Republicans on the January 6 committee.  

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The resolution, which was approved unanimously, said that Cheney and Kinzinger were engaged in the “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse”.  

The historians would be “aghast”, said a leading Democrat on the House committee investigating the January 6 incident.  

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Some Republicans have also stood up to Trump. At a Florida event staged by the conservative Federalist Society, former vice president Mike Pence, who faced a difficult time in doing the balancing act, said on Friday, “President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election.”  

Pence added, “The truth is there’s more at stake than our party or our political fortunes. If we lose faith in the constitution, we won’t just lose elections – we’ll lose our country.”  

(With inputs from agencies)