ICYMI: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Political Violence
On Tuesday, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing on political violence, aimed only at advancing the president’s portrayal of the left as dangerous and violent. Rather than debate solutions, Republicans used their time to misrepresent data, smear their opponents, and use partisan interpretations of political violence as a pretext to police American’s freedom of speech and freedom to protest.
Republicans based their wild accusations of the left on cherry-picked data and dismissed studies and facts established by federal law enforcement and experts across both Democratic and Republican administrations. Ranking Member Dick Durbin pushed back with points undermining Republicans’ claims:
Senator Durbin cited studies showing far-right extremism was responsible for the majority of domestic terrorism over the last decade.
The Senator quoted the majority’s own witness, former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf, who had previously testified that white supremacist extremists are the most persistent and lethal threat of domestic extremist violence.
He highlighted how the Trump administration dismantled the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which had deployed proven interventions that prevented individuals from committing violent acts of domestic terrorism.
In a hearing about political violence, not a single Republican acknowledged the most vivid example of such violence: January 6, 2021. Too busy picking apart the words of their counterparts, Republicans breezed over the president’s violent rhetoric that led to the insurrection. Senate Democrats made sure to call out their hypocrisy:
After DC MPD Officer Daniel Hodges recounted the traumatic details of how insurrectionists attacked him and attempted to gouge out his eyes on January 6th, Senator Peter Welch asked the witness panel to raise their hands if they believed the pardons of January 6th protestors were appropriate – all majority witnesses raised their hands.
Senator Durbin called on Republicans to “tell the truth even when it’s uncomfortable, because democracy cannot survive selective outrage or deliberate amnesia.”
After Senator John Cornyn called on Democratic politicians to tone down supposed violent rhetoric, Senator Cory Booker implored Republicans to hold the president to the same standard.
At a time when Americans need Congress to come together to reopen the government, Republicans are using their power to score political points, capitalize on tragedies to push their narrative, and advance the president’s plan to use the government to silence anyone who disagrees.
