Mo Brooks runs and hides like a coward
On Tuesday, President Biden addressed the nation on the six-month benchmark of the Jan 6 insurrection, rightfully calling the event for what it was, despite the Republicans’ numerous and desperate attempts to rebrand the assault on the Capitol as just an incident with tourists. Now that he’s called for a bipartisan commission to investigate the day’s events in full, there are a few Republicans that are suddenly changing their tune about the insurrection – many of which were the most openly pro-insurrectionist voices since the attacks happened.
Few people knew who Rep. Mo Brooks was prior to January 6 – a staunch Trump lackey with eyes on the soon to be vacated Senate seat from Alabama who helped incite the crowd with a fiery speech just before the Capitol was stormed. Now, Brooks wants you to think he didn’t really mean it – that the White House just wanted him to give that speech, as a civil case filing has opened. At the same time, Lindsey Graham is saying he hopes all rioters are prosecuted for their roles in the attacks.
As is so often the case with Republicans, we shouldn’t take this as evidence that they’re suddenly growing a spine or doing the right thing – but it’s important in pointing out a few other things that are more subtle: there’s one direction where the incitement of violence is coming from and we’re likely to learn that the Trump White House had communication with the people who planned Jan 6. They’re also doing what they can to maintain a safe distance from Donald Trump before election season rolls around and know that uglier things are about to come out when the committee starts investigating. We can’t let them do it.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making