The GOP's 'legitimate political discourse' Jan. 6 revisionism is off to a rough start

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Aaron Blake
@AaronBlake
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel spotlighted an elderly, unnamed alternate Trump elector as part of her argument that the Jan. 6 committee targets "ordinary citizens."

Rubio confirmed this is actually an RNC committeewoman who spearheaded the effort in Michigan.

washingtonpost.com
Analysis | The GOP’s ‘legitimate political discourse’ Jan. 6 revisionism is off to a rough start
3:10 PM · Feb 7, 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/07/gops-legitimate-political-discourse-jan-6-revisionism-is-off-rough-start/

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https://archive.fo/mzSkR

For days, Republicans intent upon accusing the Jan. 6 committee of targeting “ordinary” citizens who engaged in “legitimate political discourse” have focused on a supposed case-in-point: an older woman whom the committee subpoenaed after she signed up to be an alternate elector for Donald Trump.

The woman in fact appears to be a top GOP official from Michigan — at least according to new comments from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — who led an effort to submit fake electors for the state. It’s both something that could rise to the level of criminal activity, according to some experts, and at the very least would seem relevant to a probe of just how coordinated and organized the effort to overturn the 2020 election was.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel invoked the unnamed woman last week. She did so as the RNC took up a resolution censuring committee members Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). The censure referenced the supposed persecution of “ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse” related to Jan. 6.

McDaniel said she was spurred to action by one particular case, The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey reported:

McDaniel said she was particularly upset when an elderly, recently widowed friend of hers was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee after it was reported the friend was an alternate elector at the campaign’s behest. She declined to name the friend.

The case soon became part of the RNC’s talking points and was deployed widely. A member of the committee from Illinois cited “the ordinary people who did not riot being targeted and terrorized by the committee.”

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