Updated Feb 8, 2022 - Politics & Policy

McConnell: It is "not the job" of the RNC to single out GOP lawmakers

Erin Doherty

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to members of the media during a news conference. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to members of the media during a news conference on Feb. 1, 2022. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that it is "not the job" of the Republican National Committee to single out Republican members who disagree with the party.

Driving the news: "The issue is whether or not the RNC should be singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. That's not the job of the RNC," McConnell said in response to the committee's censure of Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).

"Traditionally, the view of the national party committee is that we support all members of our party, regardless of their positions on some issues," he said during a news conference.
McConnell also called the Jan. 6 Capitol riot a "violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next."

The big picture: McConnell's remarks come after the RNC voted last week to censure Cheney and Kinzinger for serving on the Jan. 6 select committee.

The RNC said the Jan. 6 panel's work amounted to the "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate discourse."
About 140 Republican leaders and former officials signed a statement out Monday condemning the RNC's decision to censure the lawmakers.

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McConnell: It is "not the job" of the RNC to single out GOP lawmakers

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