RNC description of the Capitol riot as ‘legitimate political discourse’ was added at the last minute without proper checks, report says

• The RNC document censuring Republicans on the Jan. 6 commission was rushed through, The Washington Post reported. 
• Members said the description of the riot as “legitimate political discourse” was added at the last minute. 
• The controversy over the phrase has opened a rift in the GOP. 

Members of the Republican National Committee said the description of the Capitol riot as “legitimate political discourse” was inserted at the last minute, and that the document was rushed through without proper discussion, The Washington Post reported.

That description was included in a document released Friday censuring Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for taking part in the House commission investigating the insurrection.

Claims in the document echoed disinformation about the riot pushed by former President Donald Trump and his allies, who have sought to whitewash the violence of the riot, and portray the commission as part of a campaign to persecute ordinary Trump supporters. 

The description has opened a rift among Republicans, with critics like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rejecting the description, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy defends the use of the phrase. 

Members of the RNC told The Post that the phrase had apparently been added at the last minute, and members were not properly consulted about its inclusion.

The Post reported that a copy of the document’s original draft, written by the pro-Trump operative David Bossie, did not feature the phrase “legitimate political discourse.”

Several RNC members also told The Post that no one apart from a small number of resolution committee members saw the final draft before it was emailed to RNC members early Friday. 

The document was also not read or presented aloud before it was voted on nine hours later, and approved, The Post reported.

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, who had a role in finalizing the document, has been seeking to limit the damage from the fallout in private calls to Republicans, according to the report. 

Bill Palatucci, a national committeeman from New Jersey, told The Post he would push for the censure document to be repealed. 

“At a minimum, they should remove the provision of ‘legitimate political discourse’ from the resolution,” he told The Post. “But they should repeal the whole thing.”

“There weren’t enough eyes on the document.”

The controversy over the document is part of a wider battle in the Republican Party between Trump allies, who have sought to minimize the riot, and Republicans who say the riot was a violent attack on Congress and those involved ought to be held to account.