Consultant Peter Meijer, a Republican freshman who voted to question Mr. Trump, mentioned in an interview with “The Day by day,” The New York Instances audio podcast, that the prevalence of false info among the many base had created “two worlds” amongst congressional Republicans — one that’s primarily based in actuality and one other grounded in conspiracy.
“The world that mentioned this was truly a landslide victory for Donald Trump, but it surely was all stolen away and adjusted and votes have been flipped and Dominion voting programs,” Mr. Meijer mentioned, describing what he referred to as a “fever swamp of conspiracy theories.
In a video information convention Friday, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina additionally made a direct enchantment to Republicans nonetheless unsure. “Biden truly received,” he mentioned. “The election wasn’t rigged.”
Their phrases, contrasted with Mr. Trump’s personal message and that of many supporters, spotlight a problem for the Republican Occasion. The rioters focused legislation enforcement personnel, members of Congress and even Vice President Mike Pence. Nonetheless, a lot of the celebration’s base and lots of of its leaders on the native and state ranges stay loyal to Mr. Trump.
One other Republican who backed impeachment, Consultant Tom Rice of South Carolina, acknowledged in an interview with The Related Press that he was prone to face a G.O.P. main challenger in his 2022 re-election effort due to his vote — a risk the opposite 9 Republicans who voted for impeachment will most likely face as nicely.
“FIRST G.O.P. Major Challenger Declares Run in Michigan In opposition to Freshman Rep. Meijer — One in all 10 G.O.P. Turncoats,” learn a headline on Gateway Pundit, the right-wing and sometimes conspiratorial information outlet that has amassed affect amongst Mr. Trump’s base.
Reached by electronic mail, the positioning’s founder, Jim Hoft, didn’t reply to questions however did ship alongside a number of of his personal information articles associated to claims of Antifa involvement within the Capitol assault — citing the case of a person named John Sullivan, whom the right-wing media has dubbed an “Antifa chief” in efforts to show its idea of infiltration. He was the identical man cited by Mr. Giuliani in tweets that threatened to “expose and place complete blame on John and the 226 members of Antifa that instigated the Capitol ‘riot.’”
