Davis, LaHood Provide Their Answers to RNC Censure

By Benjamin Cox on February 15, 2022 at 7:10am

Illinois Republicans have been criticized over the last few weeks about their response to the Republican National Committee’s censure of Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney. The RNC, in their censure, described the January 6th riot as “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”

Kinzinger, who is not seeking re-election to Congress this year, said recently that the US could enter another civil war while discussing the country’s partisan division and his censure by the Republican National Committee for taking part in the House January 6 commission.

Illinois’ five Republican gubernatorial candidates have yet to address the impact of former president Donald Trump’s clout over the party and January 6th directly.

Two Illinois Congressman say that the questions need to be posed to the RNC.

18th District Congressman Darin LaHood says that the January 6th participants need to be prosecuted. LaHood says that Cheney and Kinzinger no longer stand for the Republican Party: “I see it as not being loyal Republicans over the last year and trying to undermine our party. Again, I believe there are some that believe that’s what they have done over the last year here. I will say this. There was a statement made that the insurrection was legitimate political discourse. I don’t believe that is accurate. I disagree with that statement. I think what happened at the Capitol, as I said a long time ago after it occurred, I said it was an embarrassing day for our country and our democracy, and every one of those insurrectionists need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

13th District Congressman Rodney Davis says the questions surrounding the censure of Cheney and Kinzinger doesn’t belong with current elected Republican officials: “In the end, the question of the RNC censure lies with the RNC national committeemen and committeewoman here in Illinois. [Members of Congress] don’t have anything to do with that. Unfortunately, what we are seeing is not enough focus on what we should focus in on.” Davis went on to discuss problems with the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats. Davis says he’ll use his position on the House Administration committee to get to the bottom of the security failures that allowed the January 6th riot to breach the Capitol.

The Chicago Tribune claims that the gubernatorial candidates and currently elected Republican officials have all done their best to dance around Trump and thread the needle of alienating neither Trump supporters nor anti-Trump moderates and independents leading up to the primary season this June.